Conditions for acting as an officiant

Provided certain conditions are met, the registrar of civil status  can designate you as the officiant for the marriage or civil union of, for example:

• a family member, such as your mother or brother; 
• a friend.

As a designated officiant, you will be authorized to solemnize a specific marriage or civil union at a specific time. You must perform various legal steps to ensure that the marriage or civil union is valid.  

To be designated as an officiant, you must:

• hold Canadian citizenship or have a permanent residential address in Québec;
• be 18 years of age or older and able to fully exercise all their civil rights;
• speak French or English;
• have respected all the conditions of substance and form relating to the solemnization of a marriage or civil union if having previously acted as the officiant of a marriage or civil union.

In addition, you must undertake to comply with all the conditions concerning the form and substance of the marriage or civil union you solemnize.