Overview
A person must be legally authorized by Vital Statistics to perform a marriage in Alberta.
Both clergy (registered in Alberta) and civil marriage commissioners (appointed for Alberta) have the legal authority to perform marriages in Alberta. Religious and civil ceremonies are both legal marriages in Alberta. There are no legal differences between getting married by a clergy person or a marriage commissioner.
- Religious ceremonies are performed by a religious representative or clergy person registered with Vital Statistics.
- Civil marriages are performed by marriage commissioners appointed by the Alberta government to perform civil ceremonies for the community and area in which they reside.
Religious Clergy
- As there are over 10,000 clergy registered in Alberta, a public list is not available.
- To find an authorized clergy person, contact the applicable church or religious organization.
- To confirm if a clergy person is authorized to perform marriages in Alberta, please contact Vital Statistics.
Marriage Commissioner
- Use the Marriage Commissioner search below to locate a marriage commissioner in your area.
- The search allows you to search for a commissioner by:
- the location where the marriage will take place, or
- by the marriage commissioner's name.
- Many marriage commissioners have their own websites you can search online.
- For a full listing of all marriage commissioners in Alberta, click the List View button.
- Use the Map View to search for marriage commissioners in a specific location as well as nearby areas.
- The Location filter limits results to the exact location selected and does not show commissioners available within a surrounding radius.