Marrying and Sponsoring a Solomon Islander Citizen
Listen to this articleMarriage to a Solomon Islander Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Solomon Islander citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Solomon Islander spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Solomon Islander spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Solomon Islander Marriage Basic Requirements
Marriage in Solomon Islands is a relatively simple procedure. There is no difference in procedures for Solomon Islanders and expatriates.
- Persons wishing to marry must complete and file an application with the Provincial Magistrate,
- provide evidence of dissolution of prior marriages, if applicable,
- Pay a fee of S.I. $20.00 (USD $5.95).
The names are posted at the Magistrate’s Court for six weeks. At the end of the six-week waiting period, the parties are married in court and a marriage certificate is prepared. If the parties wish to marry in a Church, they are free to do so at the expiration of the six-week waiting period.
- Common law, de-facto or “custom” marriages, in which the couple live together and hold themselves out to the community as man and wife also exist in Solomon Islands.
If disputes eventually arise over child-custody or maintenance arrangements, courts have at times recognized the validity of “custom” marriages. It would be advisable for Canadian citizens who plan to obtain benefits of marriage for their spouses and children (i.e. immigration benefits) to marry in the Magistrate’s Court or Church.
Family Members
If your Solomon Islander spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Solomon Islander Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Solomon Islander citizen.
List of Solomon Islander Consulates in Canada
Calling the Solomon Islands from Canada
011 – 677 – local number
There are no area codes in the Solomon Islands. Cellular phone numbers usually begin with a 7 or 8.
Calling Canada from the Solomon Islands
00 / 01 – 1 – Area Code – local number
Follow the dialing format shown above while calling Canada from Solomon Islands.
- 00 or 01 – Exit code for Solomon Islands, and is needed for making any international call from Solomon Islands
- 1 – ISD Code or Country Code of Canada
Area Codes of Canada
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
The Solomon Islands’ time zone is GMT+11. The Solomon Islands do not observe Daylight Saving Time because of their proximity to the equator.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours the Solomon Islands are Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 19 hours | 18 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 18 hours | 17 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 17 hours | 17 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 17 hours | 16 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 16 hours | 15 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 15 hours | 14 hours |
| Newfoundland | 14.5 hours | 13.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in the Solomon Islands
There is no Canadian diplomatic mission in the Solomon Islands. For assistance, contact the Australian High Commission in Honiara.
High Commission of Australia in HoniaraCorner Hibiscus Avenue and Mud Alley Telephone: 677 21 561 |
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Embassy of Canada in AustraliaCommonwealth Avenue Telephone: 61 (2) 6270-4000 |
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Emergency Numbers in the Solomon Islands
| 911 | National Referral Hospital “Mercy Net” |
| 922 | Fire Service Henderson Airport |
| 933 | Meteorological Service |
| 955 | National Disaster Council |
| 977 | Marine Search and Rescue |
| 988 | Fire Service Rove HQ |
| 999 | Police Crime Stop |
Travel Alerts from the Government of Canada for the Solomon Islands
Sponsoring Your Solomon Islander Spouse
The sponsorship process is lengthy and can be a lot of work. Want to learn more about it? Click the button below:
