Marrying and Sponsoring a Liberian
Listen to this article- West African country bordering yjr north Atlantic Ocean
- The weather in very varied and different across the country. Its tropical hot and humid with dry winters, the days are hot and nights change from cool to cold. Summers are wet and cloudy with frequent heavy rainfall.
- Hazards include dry Harmattan winds that blow dust hampering visibility from December to March
Marriage to a Liberian Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Liberian citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Liberian 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 Liberian 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.
Liberian Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Liberia, you must demonstrate to the Liberian government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Liberian Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Liberian citizen can legally take place in Liberia, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Liberian spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Liberian spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Liberian citizen.
List of Liberian Consulates in Canada
Liberian Consulate in Toronto, Canada
Calling Liberia from Canada
The country code is 231 so to call you dial 011 – 231 – local number
There are no area codes in Liberia. Landline numbers normally begin with 2 and cell numbers normally begin with 4, 5, 6 or 7.
Calling Canada from Liberia
Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number, where
- 00 is the international dialing code
- 1 is the country code for Canada
List of Canadian Area Codes
| 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
Liberia is on GMT, the same time as Britain, also known as Coordinated Universal Time. Liberia does not participate in Daylight Savings Time.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Liberia is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 8 hours | 7 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 7 hours | 6 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 6 hours | 6 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 6 hours | 5 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 5 hours | 4 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 4 hours | 3 hours |
| Newfoundland | 3.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in Liberia
There is no Canadian diplomatic mission in Liberia. The mission with jurisdiction for Liberia is located in the Ivory Coast:
Embassy of Canada in AbidjanImmeuble Trade Centre Postal Address: Telephone: 225 20 30 07 00 |
View Larger Map |
Canadian Government’s Travel Alerts for Liberia
Sponsoring a Liberian to Canada
The sponsorship process can be difficult and lengthy. To learn more about the application, click the button below:
