Foreign Divorce Opinion Letters in Ontario, Canada
If you were divorced outside of Canada and now want to get a marriage licence in Ontario so that you can re-marry, you will need a foreign divorce opinion letter. The Government of Ontario requires that you submit a letter to the provincial government from a lawyer licensed in Ontario to provide an opinion on whether your divorce from another country would be recognized by Canadian courts (since otherwise, you would be considered to be married to more than one person at the same time).
Eric Vallillee and Vallillee Family Lawyers provide foreign divorce opinion letters in London, Ontario or to residents across the province quickly and easily. We will need to see your original divorce order (or a certified copy), your Ontario marriage licence application, and get some information from you about where you and your ex-spouse have lived, information about your current partner, and some other basic information. If your foreign divorce is eligible for recognition in Canada, we will provide you with your foreign divorce opinion letter on the same day that you are scheduled to come in for your appointment. If you’re outside of London, we can exchange electronic documents remotely or hardcopies by mail, and meet with you by videoconference as needed.
Why do I need a foreign divorce opinion letter?
Divorce in Canada is regulated by the federal government, so if you were divorced anywhere in this country, there is no issue over whether your divorce would be recognized by another province. But many other countries have rules and laws about divorce that are very different from Canadian law.
Sometimes these rules are so different that Canadian courts won’t be able to consider your divorce from outside of the country as valid. Since it is illegal in Canada to be married to more than one person at a time, the Province of Ontario requires that you show that your divorce from outside of the country would also be valid in Canada before a new marriage licence will be issued.
Vallillee Family Lawyers can provide you with a letter that satisfies the government’s requirements if your foreign divorce is evaluated to meet Canadian requirements. The cost for this service is $295+HST.
Call us at 519-488-5263 today to book your appointment, or click here to contact us to schedule a convenient time to come in to the office. We will send you the intake form and payment instructions, and begin processing your request as soon as all the necessary documents have been received from you.
To get authorization to re-marry in Ontario when you’ve been divorced outside of Canada:
- You fill out a Marriage Licence Application
- You fill out a Statement of Sole Responsibility for the validity of your foreign divorce, which you and your new partner both sign
- You need an original or certified copy (certified by the court or authority that granted the divorce in the first place) of the divorce order or divorce decree.
- You need a legal opinion letter/Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter explaining why your divorce from outside of the country should be recognized in the Province of Ontario.
You then send the completed forms, your divorce order (translated into English or French if needed), and your foreign divorce opinion letter to:
Office of the Registrar General
Marriage Office
PO Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8
It usually takes about four weeks to receive your authorization to remarry back from the Registrar General, so don’t leave this process until the last minute. COVID-19 or other factors could also complicate or delay the process, so it’s best to get this process out of the way earlier if possible, especially if you already have a wedding date in mind!