本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛HOW TO GET MARRIED IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
As a result of a BC Appeal Court’s decision, same sex marriage is legal in British Columbia, effective July 8, 2003.
All existing requirements for getting married in BC remain in effect for same sex marriages in the province.
If you are coming to BC to get married, please contact the appropriate authorities in the jurisdiction where you are a resident to determine whether your marriage will be recognized.
Detailed information on how to get married in British Columbia follows.
Step 1.
Applying for a Marriage Licence
The Marriage Act requires that you obtain a Marriage Licence before getting married in British Columbia. The licence does not mean that you are married, but that you may get married any time during the three-month term of the licence.
Either party to the marriage must apply in person to the Marriage Licence Issuer in your community(click here to search for a location near you).
Only one member of the couple needs to apply for the licence, but you will be asked to provide identification for both parties to the marriage. Information required with identification will include:
Full name, including given names
Birth date and birth place
Marital status
Current address
A fee must be paid at the time of application.
The licence will be issued at the time of application, and is valid for three months from the time of issuance.
Marriage Licences are not refundable.
Who can get married?
Anyone over 19 years of age is eligible to apply for a marriage licence in British Columbia.
Anyone under 19 years of age must first obtain the consent of both parents. Your local Marriage Licence Issuer has the required consent forms or the form can be downloaded here.
No one under the age of 16 years can be married without the consent of the Supreme or County Court.
You do not have to be a B.C. resident in order to be married here, but the licence is only valid in this province.
Blood tests are not required under B.C. legislation.
If one or both of the intended parties was recently divorced (within the last 31 days), proof of divorce must be provided.
No licence may be issued until a divorce has been finalized by the courts (this is normally 31 days after the divorce decree has been issued by the courts).
Step 2.
The Marriage Ceremony
In B.C., couples can choose a religious or civil ceremony. Either type of ceremony must be witnessed by two people.
Religious ceremonies are performed by a religious representative of your choice, as long as they are registered with the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency under the Marriage Act.
Civil ceremonies are performed by Marriage Commissioners who are appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of Vital Statistics.
If you are planning a civil ceremony and using the services of a Marriage Commissioner, you need to book your officiant as soon as possible once you have a date for your wedding. Marriage Commissioners book up quickly and it may become problematic to leave booking this service to the last minute.
Please contact only one marriage commissioner at a time to confirm availability. Sending a blanket e-mail request to all commissioners in an area causes confusion.
Remember, Marriage Commissioners are not wedding planners — they are officiants to your planned marriage. When making your booking ensure you provide the marriage commissioner with the necessary details. That is,
the date and time you plan to have your ceremony,
exact location of the ceremony (if you plan on being married in a public location such as a park, please confirm with the appropriate municipality that you can do so),
and lastly, how you wish to arrange for payment of the commissioner fees.
It is also helpful to the marriage Commissioner if you can provide additional information such as approximately how many guests will be attending, how large the wedding party is and any special information such as wardrobe requests.
Below you will find our approved wedding ceremony for your use. Any changes or additions to it should be discussed with your Marriage Commissioner. Please note that the text that has been bolded and is in CAPS is mandatory text that must be included in all civil ceremonies conducted in British Columbia. Click here to view the wedding ceremony.
Contact the Marriage Commissioner directly to make an appointment and arrangements (click here to search for a location near you).
See Fee Schedule for current legislated fee.
Which name can you use?
After marriage, you gain the right to use your spouse's surname. You can choose to continue using your own surname. This does not result in a legal change of name, or in any automatic change to birth records, and you can decide to return to your own surname at any time.
To use hyphenated surnames a legal Change of Name is required.
Step 3.
Registering the Marriage
The religious representative or Marriage Commissioner who performs the wedding ceremony will also help to complete the necessary Marriage Registration Form.
This form is then sent within 48 hours of the marriage ceremony by the religious representative or Marriage Commissioner to the Vital Statistics Agency, where the marriage is registered and a legal record is kept.
Proof of marriage
At the time of the ceremony, your Religious Representative or Marriage Commissioner may provide you with a statement of marriage - this interim document can be used temporarily to prove that you are married.
After the marriage, and following the receipt and registration of the Marriage Registration Form, a permanent Marriage Certificate will be automatically mailed to the parties from the Vital Statistics Agency.
How to Order a Certificate
How To Make Corrections
If you would like to print a copy of this information, click here for a PDF file of the Getting Married in British Columbia brochure.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net