During ordinary times, a marriage licence is only valid for 3 months after it is issued. But these are extraordinary times and the Government of Ontario has made changes to the Marriage Act that allow couples to use their expired marriage licence if the following conditions are met:

• The licence was issued between December 1, 2019 and July 24, 2020; and

Since the license was issued;

• It has not been used (i.e., the couple has not married each other),
• Neither party has married anyone else, and
• Neither party has legally changed their name.
  

If you meet all of these conditions, your licence will be valid for until an additional 2 years from July 24, 2020 (the end of the COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency in Ontario).

Couples who wish to get a licence now can still do so through the Town of Newmarket, but there are protocols in place to ensure the safety of staff and applicants.

• The first step in applying for a licence is to contact Customer Service by phone or email.  Town staff will review your application as well as acceptable identification for a marriage licence, outline the new modified process for obtaining your licence, and review all required documentation.  A fillable application for a marriage licence form is available on the Town’s website and must be filled out completely before attending your scheduled appointment.
  
• The next step is to book an in-person appointment to come to the Municipal Offices at 395 Mulock Dr. Both parties must attend this meeting.
• Health screening questions will be asked during the phone call, and again at the time of the in-person appointment. We strongly recommend that a mask be worn during the in-person appointment.

The cost of a licence is $150.  The fee must be paid at the time of appointment booking. If you wish to cancel your appointment you must provide two business days’ notice in order to be refunded the fee. For those who cancel with less than 2 business days’ notice, the fee will be non-refundable.

Customer Service can be reached at 905-895-5193 or at info@newmarket.ca 

The Ontario government has information on their website with regards to communities that are in stage 2 and stage 3.  Each stage has different social gathering size restrictions in place. It is your responsibility to ensure that you review and understand this information prior to planning your wedding day.

For information on gathering sizes please see the information provided by York Region available here.

*Important: Please be aware that regardless of the gathering numbers allowed by Provincial and local guidelines, all businesses are being encouraged to operate in a way which they feel is best for the safety their staff and patrons, and they may not allow the maximum number of guests. We recommend that couples discuss the numbers of guests their desired venue is permitting before confirming booking.

Indoor gathering limits apply to ceremonies that are fully or partially indoors. Indoor events and gatherings cannot be combined with an outdoor event or gathering to increase the applicable gathering size.

You and your guests must also adhere to the physical distancing of 2 metres with anyone who you do not live with or are part of your social circle.

York Region also has a mandatory mask/face covering order in place for all indoor spaces.  You will need to ensure that you are following the requirements of York Region Public Health as well. 

• preferred date and time for your ceremony,
• the location of your ceremony,
  
• if you are looking to purchase the marriage license as well.