Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter

If you were divorced outside of Canada and want to marry in Canada, you will require a FDOL

What is a Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter?

If you are planning on getting married in Ontario, but either you or your future spouse was divorced outside of Canada, you will require a foreign divorce opinion letter in order to validate your divorce in Canada.

The purpose of a foreign divorce opinion letter is to prove that your divorce was legal in the country in which it was obtained. If you cannot prove the legitimacy of your foreign divorce, the Minister of Government Services will not issue an authorization and a marriage license will not be issued.

Is Your Foreign Divorce Valid in Canada?

In order to confirm whether your divorce was valid, one of the following two factors need to be met: first, whether at least one of the parties to the divorce was ordinarily resident in the jurisdiction that granted the divorce for a least one year immediately preceding the commencement of the proceedings for the divorce; or second, whether there was a real and substantial connection between at least one of the parties and the jurisdiction that granted the divorce.

Our Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter Service

The first step we take is meet with the client. We will ask specific questions to analyze the situation and circumstances of the divorce. We will then examine the actual foreign divorce decree itself. If it is not in English, it will need to be translated and notarized. We will then draft our foreign divorce opinion letter and issue it to you. Book your free consultation today.

The Application Package

The full application package that must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar General must contain the following documents:

  1. A completed marriage license application signed by both parties;
  2. The original divorce or a copy, certified by the administrative office of the court in the granting jurisdiction or sealed or otherwise properly authenticated by the court;
  3. A Statement of Sole Responsibility for each divorce signed by both parties and properly witnessed, and
  4. The Foreign Divorce Opinion Letter.

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