Get your marriage processed quickly!

It can take 8-14 weeks for your licence to be processed and the Ontario Marricage Certificate to be issued when you order it. However, these steps may expedite the process and shorten processing times to 2-6 weeks.

Before you meet with the Marrying Lady:

1. Get your licence from City Hall (application for the licence here).

2. Request a letter from any institution that can support your reason for expediting - Lawyer, Immigration Officer, Employment Offer Letter, University or OSAP Office, Medical Doctor, Realtor, Religious Leaders, Adoption Services, etc. You will need to provide this for the ORG to consider expediting the process. Print copies of any documents which support your urgency: expiring visas, airline tickets, wedding invitations, university fees list, anything that supports your claim that you need it asap.

3. Apply for your marriage certificate online here on the morning that you are getting married. It won't work earlier (and you don't need to wait 6-8 weeks after the date of marriage if you received that old information from your City Hall). You will get the order number from the receipt at the end (if you don't, go back and make sure you've requested to 'submit online' and not 'by mail'). The $15 Certificate is accepted for Immigration to Canada. The $22 Long Form is sometimes required when moving from Canada to other countries.

4, Write a personal letter stating your urgency for expediting your marriage licence in order to receive your certificate. A sample letter is on my blog here. In that letter, state your Licence Number (starts with a G and is at the top of your licence in red ink) and the order number from your certificate receipt when you applied online. Print this letter out and bring it with you, or email it and bring $3 to have it printed.

5. Bring me an additional $25 to send it Expresspost or an additional $40 for a courier envelope if their is a postal strike. The licence needs to be mailed by the Officiant and addresses vary for both types of mailing.

BRING: your licence, letter of urgency from an external institution, your personal letter, any supporting documents, and the extra money for postage to The Marrying Lady. She will send your marriage licence and documents to the Registrar General. The Registrar General will determine the validity and priority of your need to expedite your licence and certificate.

Post Wedding: If, after you've met with the Marrying Lady, you have additional documents to add to your claim - don't worry - there is a form and letter format that you can use to further pursue your case for expedition. See here.

(It took me a long time to work out this process, and I offer it here freely to support couples. I kindly ask that if you are an Officiant, please do not copy this without credit, and do not charge couples extra for this process. Thank you!)