Foreign divorce opinion letters are required when someone was divorced outside Canada and now wants to marry in Ontario. They help the marriage licence issuer understand why the foreign divorce can be recognized for the Ontario process.
Why the request comes up
Ontario marriage licence issuers must be satisfied that each person is legally free to marry. If a previous divorce was granted by an Ontario court, that is usually simple to verify. If the divorce was granted abroad, the issuer requires foreign divorce opinion letters from an Ontario lawyer.
Foreign divorce opinion letters explain the documents, the facts, and the legal recognition analysis in a format the licence issuer can review.
When you need one
You need foreign divorce opinion letters if the divorce certificate, decree, or judgment was issued outside Canada and you are applying for an Ontario marriage licence.
- You were divorced outside Canada
- You are applying for an Ontario marriage licence
- The licence issuer requires proof of recognition
- Your documents include translations or foreign court terminology
What foreign divorce opinion letters are meant to prove
Foreign divorce opinion letters do not divorce you again. They explain why the divorce already granted abroad should be recognized for the Ontario marriage licence application.
The real question is not where the divorce happened. It is whether Ontario can treat that divorce as valid for the marriage licence process.
