Solemnization of Civil Marriages

If you wish to marry in a civil ceremony, you may ask the mayor to act as officiant authorized to solemnize your marriage. Every year, dozens of civil weddings are performed at city hall or other venues.

Minimum 45 day waiting period

Please note that a minimum 45-day waiting period must be observed between the preparation meeting and the chosen date for the wedding ceremony.  This waiting period is necessary because after receiving the documents, the Directeur de l’état civil must publish notice of marriage on the website for 20 days.

• Procedure

  The future husband and wife must:

  1 – Make sure to have the following documents and information before making an appointment:

  • Original birth certificate;
  • photo identification (health insurance card, driver’s license or passport);
  • proof of civil status:
    • for single person: no document is required;
    • for a widow: death certificate;
    • for a divorced person: divorce certificate or judgment;

  2 – Schedule the wedding day and time in one of the following ways:

  • By email at mairie@ville.chateauguay.qc.ca
  • By phone by calling 450 698-3000 (Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday: 8:30 a.m. to noon)

  3 – Provide the names of two witnesses for the wedding

  Subsequently, a meeting with the bride and groom will be scheduled, for the signing of the publication form and for the payment of the marriage.

• Fees

  The fees for civil marriages are established by the ministère de la Justice du Québec and are indexed on January 1^st of each year. To find out what these fees are, we invite you to consult the Tariff of Court Costs – Civil marriage on the Ministère’s website.

  For 2023, the fees are as follows:

  For a wedding held at city hall

  $299 plus tax

  For a wedding held at a venue other than city hall

  $399 plus tax