By law, every marriage solemnized in Saskatchewan must be registered with Vital Statistics. Registration is necessary to establish legal proof of the marriage. Without registration you cannot obtain a marriage certificate.

Before a marriage can be solemnized, the couple must first obtain a marriage license. For detailed information about obtaining a marriage license, who is legally able to get married or who is registered to perform marriages in Saskatchewan, please contact:

The Marriage Unit
323 3085 Albert Street
Regina, SK
S4S 0B1

Tel: (306) 787-3869

• In Saskatchewan the couple can choose a religious or civil ceremony. Two people who are at least 18 years of age must witness either type of ceremony.
• Religious ceremonies may be performed by a religious representative of your choice as long as the representative is registered with Saskatchewan Justice under The Marriage Act.
• Civil ceremonies may be performed by a Marriage Commissioner of your choice as long as the representative is registered with Saskatchewan Justice under The Marriage Act.

• The religious representative or Marriage Commissioner who performs the marriage ceremony will help you to complete a Registration of Marriage form that includes obtaining signatures from the couple and the two witnesses.
• Within 48 hours of the marriage ceremony, the religious representative or Marriage Commissioner will forward the completed Registration of Marriage form to Vital Statistics where the marriage is registered and a legal record is kept.
  

After marriage either of the couple can choose to use one of the following surnames:

• the married person's birth name, i.e. the legal surname as recorded in the birth registration records of the jurisdiction where that person was born
• the surname of the married person's spouse
• the married person's pre-marriage surname, i.e. the legal surname that a married person was using immediately prior to his or her current marriage
• a double surname made up of the couple's surnames. The double surname can contain no more than two components and it may be joined by a hyphen.

You do not need to apply for a legal change of name or file a notice with Vital Statistics nor does it result in a change of name to birth records.You can decide to return to your own surname at any time. To change your identification, please contact each agency directly to determine their requirements for making a change in their records.