<Li> Both parties must freely consent to the marriage </Li> <Li> Both parties must be of legal age to contract a marriage or have parental consent to marry </Li> <Li> Neither party may be under a disability that prevents him or her from entering into a valid marriage--e.g. they must both be of sound mind, neither of them can be currently married, and some jurisdictions do not permit prisoners to marry . </Li> <P> Otherwise, common - law marriage differs from statutory marriage as follows: </P>

What is considered a common law marriage in canada