How to Get Married in Alberta: Licence, Officiant, and Certificate

To get married in Alberta, both people go together to a registry agent to buy a $40 marriage licence, hold a ceremony in Alberta with an authorized officiant and two adult witnesses, and let the officiant file the Registration of Marriage with Vital Statistics within 48 hours. There is no residency or citizenship requirement, so visitors and newcomers marry on the same terms as lifelong Albertans. The licence is good for three months from the day it is issued.¹

Who Can Marry in Alberta

Both people must be at least 18 to marry on their own. A 16- or 17-year-old can apply for a licence only if every parent or legal guardian consents; a court can sometimes waive that consent, for instance where a guardian is being unreasonable or where the minor is pregnant or already has a child. No one under 16 can marry in Alberta.¹

Neither person can already be married to someone else under any jurisdiction’s law. Bigamy is a criminal offence.² If either of you has been married before, you will need to bring the original final divorce document (such as a Certificate of Divorce or Decree Absolute) when you apply for the licence.

Federal law also prohibits marriage between people related in a direct line (parent and child, grandparent and grandchild) or as siblings or half-siblings, including relationships created by adoption.³ Both people must have the mental capacity to understand what they are agreeing to, and neither can be under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they apply for the licence or when the ceremony takes place.⁴

Because the application involves signing legal documents in English, both people must be fluent in English. If either is not, you will need to bring an interpreter who is at least 18 and fluent in both languages. The couple cannot interpret for each other.¹

Get Your Marriage Licence

Marriage licences are issued by registry agent offices across the province. You both have to show up in person, together. At the counter you will swear or affirm one or more affidavits, and making a false statement on those affidavits is a criminal offence.¹

Bring with you:

Government-issued photo ID for each person, such as a passport or driver’s licence. If one person lacks standard photo ID, a birth certificate or immigration document may work as long as the other person has acceptable photo ID; call the registry agent first to confirm the combination.
Full names, dates and places of birth, and the full names and birthplaces of both parents, including any parent’s maiden name.
The original final divorce document, if either of you was previously married.

The registry agent hands you a two-part document. The top portion is the Registration of Marriage; the bottom portion is the Marriage Licence itself. Look both parts over for errors before you leave the counter, because corrections are far easier to fix in person than after the fact.¹

The government fee is $40. Registry agents add their own service fee on top, and that amount varies by office, so phone ahead if price matters. The licence is valid for three months from the date of issue and can only be used for a ceremony in Alberta. If it expires before you marry, you apply and pay again.¹

Pick an Authorized Officiant

Every marriage in Alberta has to be performed by someone authorized through Vital Statistics. You have three choices:⁴

A clergy person registered with Alberta Vital Statistics. More than 10,000 are on the list; you can confirm a specific person’s registration by contacting Vital Statistics directly.
A civil marriage commissioner appointed by the Alberta government to perform civil ceremonies in a specific community. The Alberta government website has a search tool by area.
A temporary marriage commissioner, meaning a friend or family member appointed for a single day.

Having a Friend or Family Member Officiate

A temporary appointment is a popular route, but the person has to be approved by Vital Statistics before the ceremony. The rules:⁵

The applicant must be at least 18 and a permanent resident of Canada.
The appointment covers one day only, and the person can perform a maximum of three ceremonies per calendar year.
They must have a personal relationship or connection with the couple. They cannot solicit officiant business or hold themselves out as a permanent commissioner.
The ceremony must be civil (non-religious), and the officiant cannot charge a fee.
A clergy person who is not registered to perform religious marriages in Alberta can also apply for a temporary appointment with special approval, but they are still limited to a civil ceremony.

Apply well before the wedding date. Processing takes time and the appointment has to be confirmed before the ceremony.

The Ceremony Itself

The licence must be valid on the day of the wedding, the ceremony must happen in Alberta, and you have to hand the two-part licence document to the officiant before things begin. Proxy marriages are not allowed. Both people marrying and both witnesses have to be physically present with the officiant.⁴

Your two witnesses each have to be at least 18, cannot be cognitively impaired, and cannot be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Everyone in the wedding party, couple and witnesses alike, has to be fluent in whatever language the ceremony is conducted in and has to fully understand the English forms they will sign. If anyone is not fluent in English, you are responsible for arranging an interpreter.⁴

In a civil ceremony, each person makes two spoken declarations in front of the other person, both witnesses, and the marriage commissioner. First, that you know of no legal reason you cannot marry the other person. Second, that you call on those present to witness you taking the other person as your spouse.⁴ Religious ceremonies follow whatever form the clergy person’s denomination requires, but the legal paperwork is the same.

At the end of the ceremony, the couple, both witnesses, and the officiant sign the Registration of Marriage form. The officiant keeps the Marriage Licence portion and has to send the Registration of Marriage to Vital Statistics within 48 hours. That filing is what officially registers your marriage with the Alberta government.⁴

After the Wedding: Certificate, Name, and CRA

Alberta does not send you a marriage certificate automatically. Once the Registration of Marriage is processed, you can order one through a registry agent office or by mail. The government fee is $20, plus the registry agent’s own service fee. Applications sent directly to Vital Statistics will not be processed; they have to go through a registry agent or Registry Connect.⁶ Order at least one copy promptly, because almost every post-wedding administrative task depends on it.

Alberta does not require a formal legal name change to take a spouse’s surname. You can simply assume your spouse’s last name or hyphenate it with your own using your marriage certificate and photo ID. For your Alberta driver’s licence, bring your current licence, one piece of acceptable ID, and your marriage certificate to a registry agent within 14 days of changing your name. The agent takes your old licence and gives you a temporary paper one to use until the new card arrives, which takes up to 21 days.⁷ A Canadian passport name change means applying for a brand-new passport, and the ID you submit with that application has to already show the new name, so update your provincial ID first.⁸

Tell the Canada Revenue Agency about your change in marital status by the end of the month following the month you married. Marry on March 15, update the CRA by April 30. The fastest way is through CRA My Account.⁹ Marital status affects how the CRA calculates benefits like the GST/HST credit and the Canada Child Benefit, so late updates can lead to overpayments the CRA will later claw back, or underpayments you miss out on.

Using the Certificate Abroad

If you need your Alberta marriage certificate recognized in another country, you will likely need an apostille. Canada is a member of the Apostille Convention, and Canadian public documents can receive one certifying their authenticity. The process is by mail or courier only, at $25 per document, with processing of at least 7 to 10 business days. The certificate must be an original issued by Alberta Vital Statistics after January 1, 1999; laminated or wallet-size documents are not accepted. If the destination country is not part of the Convention, the document may need authentication and then legalization by that country’s representative office in Canada.¹⁰

What Marriage Changes Legally

Marriage in Alberta carries real legal consequences beyond the ceremony. Under the Family Property Act, property acquired during the marriage is generally subject to division between spouses if the relationship ends. Couples can opt out of these default rules with their own property-division agreement, but if they do not, the legislation applies automatically.¹¹ If you want different arrangements, the time to discuss a prenuptial or marriage agreement with a family lawyer is before the wedding, not after.

1
Alberta.ca. Get a Marriage Licence
2
Department of Justice. Criminal Code RSC 1985 c C-46 – Section 290
3
Department of Justice. Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act
4
Alberta.ca. Getting Married – Find a Marriage Officiant
5
Alberta.ca. Temporary Marriage Commissioner
6
Alberta.ca. Order a Marriage Certificate or Marriage Document
7
AMA (Alberta Motor Association). Legal Name Change in Alberta
8
Government of Canada. Changing the Name on Your Passport or Other Travel Document
9
Canada.ca. Change in Marital Status
10
Alberta.ca. Documents for Other Jurisdictions or Countries
11
Alberta.ca. Dividing Property Between Unmarried Partners