How To Get A Marriage License In New York (NY)

What is a marriage license?

This is a legal document which is issued by a civil or ecclesiastical authority with which two people are authorized to celebrate the marriage act. The existence of this, the limits and procedures for the processing will depend on each state in which it is requested.

How to apply for a marriage license in New York?

The first step you must take when you get married is to apply for the marriage license, this is very easy to apply, you just have to enter the official website of the New York municipal registry .

After having made the application for the marriage license online, they must go to the offices of the City Clerk (Municipal Registry) to finalize the registration of the application.

There in the office they must give true information about themselves, then they must carefully read the marriage license and verify that it does not contain any errors, then sign it and then wait twenty-four hours to be able to carry out the civil marriage.

What information is required in the application?

Requirements to get married in New York

As we all know, getting married is one of the moments that many hope to live and want everything to be perfect and as planned, for this reason each state of the United States of America establishes requirements to be able to officiate civil weddings.

License cost

The marriage license has a one-time cost of 35 dollars in the state of New York, this payment must be made by credit card or it can also be canceled with postal payment, this must be in the name of the New York Municipal Registry office .

How to get married in New York if I am not a New York resident?

 What identification can I bring as proof of identity?

Can the marriage license be renewed?

It cannot be renewed if the document expires, but if it is lost or stolen, you can request a duplicate of the marriage license from the New York Municipal Registry, but keep in mind that you will have to cancel an amount of $ 25 that you must cancel by credit card or make a postal payment payable to the New York Municipal Registry.

How is a civil marriage performed in New York?

To carry out a civil marriage in New York you can choose one of these two options:

Additionally, you must bear in mind that if you carry out your private or outdoor wedding, the officiant must be legally registered with the municipal registry office in order to officiate the wedding and that it is completely legal. As it is a private wedding, at the end of the event it will be necessary for the bride and groom, the officiant and the witnesses to sign the marriage certificate which must then be taken to the municipal registry office by the wedding officiant.

Civil marriage of minors

If the two boyfriends or at least one of them at the time they are going to perform the marriage are minors, they must meet the following necessary requirements to be able to marry:

Do we need a witness?

For the celebration of the marriage, at least one witness who is of legal age or older is necessary, since at the end of the marriage ceremony, he or she must sign the act as well as the couple and the officiant.

Where can it be done and who can officiate?

Once you have obtained the marriage license, you can perform the ceremony wherever you want within the state of New York. The municipal registry can perform the civil marriage ceremony in one of its five offices, these are attended according to the order of arrival of each couple. They must attend accompanied by a witness of legal age, and this must carry their personal identification as well as the bride and groom must carry it along with the marriage license.

How long does it take to get the marriage certificate?

The delivery time of the marriage certificate may vary according to how it was made. If the ceremony was held at the main registry office, the certificate is delivered on the same day as the event at the end, on the other hand, if the ceremony was held privately or outside the municipal registry offices, the couple must wait twenty days to receive their certificate. of legal marriage which will be sent to you by email.

Should I change my last name when I get married?

It is not mandatory that when you get married you must change your last name when you go to make the application for the marriage license in New York, you can choose to change your last name to that of your partner or continue using your last name at birth. In case you decide to use your partner’s last name, you must reflect it at the time the marriage license is being filled out, so that when the wedding ends you can use your married name.

How to obtain marriage registration in New York?

If you want to obtain a marriage registration in New York you must go to the municipal registry office or you can make the request by email where you must enter all the data of the two spouses. You can enter the official website of the municipal registry to download, fill out and print the application form to take it to the city Clerk office.

In addition to this, you must take a copy of the identity documents of each of the spouses to the municipal registry and make the corresponding payment for the procedure.

How to apply by email?

Carrying out the marriage registration request via email is a very simple process, you just have to download and fill out the application form that you can find on the official website of the City Clerk, this you must send it along with all the other information to the room of New York records.

Multi-year marriage registration application

All New Yorkers’ marriage licenses are granted by the New York municipal registry, if you want to request your marriage registry you should know that you can take one of these two options:

What happens if I lose my marriage record?

If for some reason your marriage registration is lost but you have been married for a while, in that case you can make the request for your registration again at the municipal registry office, it keeps in its offices all the marriage licenses issued by them, not Regardless of how long they have been married, this registry is in the municipal registry office. They just have to make the request by email and pay the cost of the procedure.

Frequent questions

This section gives an accurate and specific answer for common situations that usually arise and generate concern among applicants for this license:

Who can get married in New York City now that the Marriage Equality Act has been passed?

The law approved on July 24, 2011 on marriage equality establishes that same-sex couples can celebrate the marriage just like opposite-sex couples, they have the same rights, benefits and responsibilities under state and municipal law.

Where are the municipal registry offices located?

New York has five municipal registry offices where you can complete the procedure:

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