How to Apply

You and your future spouse must appear together in person with proper ID and payment at the City Clerk’s office to complete the application for a Marriage License.

The application includes your:

• Name
• Address
• Birth place
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Marital history

You will make a sworn statement that there are no legal barriers to you getting married. You do not need blood tests to get a marriage license.

If you provide all necessary documents, you will get a Marriage License on the same day.

Providing Marital History

If you were married before, you need to list all prior marriages on the Marriage License application, including your former spouse's full name, the date the divorce was granted, and the place you filed the divorce. The City Clerk's office may ask you to provide the final divorce decree. All divorces, annulments, and dissolutions must be finalized before you can apply for a new Marriage License.

If your spouse is deceased, you must provide his/her full name and date of death.

Identification Requirements

You and your future spouse must bring valid identification when applying for a Marriage License. Expired forms of identification will not be accepted, no exceptions.

The following forms of identification are accepted:

• Driver's license (from the United States or one of its territories)
• Non driver's identification card (from the United States or one of its territories)
• Learner's permit from New York State only
• IDNYC
• United States Military Identification Card
• A valid passport from any country
• U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (issued within the past 10 years)
• United States Alien Registration Card with expiration date
• Employment authorization card issued by the United States immigration authorities

Payment

The fee for a Marriage License is $35. You can pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express), debit card (Visa or MasterCard) or a money order payable to the City Clerk.

Surname Change Options

Various surname options are listed on the back of the Marriage License application. You must state your choice of surname on the application. If you choose to make a surname change on your application, the surname change takes legal effect at the conclusion of the marriage ceremony. The name change option does not apply to your first name or middle name.

Although you may correct mistakes in your Certificate of Marriage Registration, a surname choice is not considered a mistake and cannot be changed through the usual amendment process. If you wish to change your surname through the City Clerk’s office after your marriage ceremony, you must remarry.

Same-Sex Couples

The Marriage Equality Act allows same-sex couples to marry legally in New York State. Same-sex couples can go to a City Clerk's office in any borough to apply for a Marriage License or begin the application process online. 

Additional Information

Learn more about applying for a Marriage License.

The legal age to get married in the City of New York is 17. If you or your prospective spouse is 17 years old, you are required to have written parental consent as well as written approval from either a supreme court justice or a family court judge in order to obtain a marriage license.

You must bring a valid form of documentation that displays proof of age and date of birth. The following forms of identification are accepted:

• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate
• Baptismal record
• Passport
• Driver’s license
• Naturalization record
• Court records

The parents of you and your prospective spouse must accompany you at the time of filling out the application, to give their consent. If one parent is deceased, then the surviving parent must appear along with a death certificate for the deceased parent.

If both parents are deceased, then the legal guardian must be present instead.

On July 22, 2021, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation raising the age of consent to be married in New York State to 18. This legislation takes effect 30 days after becoming law and will apply to licenses issued after that date and marriages that had not been made official before that date.

How to Apply

If you and your future spouse are 18 years or older, you can apply online for a Marriage License using City Clerk Online.

When you submit the Marriage License application, you will get a confirmation number. To complete the application, both you and your future spouse must bring the confirmation number along with payment, proper identification, and additional required documentation to any of the City Clerk offices.

Expiration of Application

Online applications expire after 21 days. If you do not complete the application in person at a City Clerk’s Office before then, you will need to submit a new application.

Applicants Under 18 Years Old

Applicants under 18 years old cannot apply for a marriage license online. You must apply in person at the City Clerk’s Office.

New York State Law requires a 24 hour waiting period after you obtain a Marriage License. If you and your future spouse must marry before the 24 hour waiting period is over, you can request permission from a Judge to waive this requirement. 

Judicial Waiver

You can request a Judicial Waiver from the County Clerk in the borough where you obtained your Marriage License. 

There is no fee to obtain a Judicial Waiver. You must give the Judicial Waiver to your Marriage Officiant to enable them to perform the ceremony within the 24 hour waiting period. The Marriage Officiant must attach the Judicial Waiver when returning the Marriage License to the City Clerk’s Office.

Submitting the License after the Marriage Ceremony

At the end of the marriage ceremony, the Marriage Officiant, both spouses, and the witness(es) should sign the Marriage License. The Marriage Officiant must return the Marriage License within 5 business days to the same City Clerk’s borough office where the couple got the Marriage License. 

You will receive your Certificate of Marriage Registration in the mail within approximately 20 days from the date when the City Clerk receives and processes the Marriage License. If you have not received your Certificate of Marriage Registration within a month of your marriage ceremony, you should contact the City Clerk’s Office where you obtained your Marriage License. You can also send an email to officeservices@cityclerk.nyc.gov.

If you and your future spouse have a Marriage Ceremony at the City Clerk's Office, you will get a Certificate of Marriage Registration on that same day once the ceremony is complete.

Duplicate Marriage License

If your Marriage License is lost, stolen, or mutilated, you must obtain a Duplicate Marriage License in order to get married. 

Either you or your future spouse may apply for a Duplicate Marriage License. The applicant must return to the same City Clerk’s borough office that issued the original Marriage License, complete a Duplicate Marriage License affidavit, and pay the fee.

Correcting a Marriage License

A Marriage License is the document you obtain in order to get married. If your Marriage License is incorrect, you must make the changes before the marriage ceremony is held.

To correct your Marriage License, you must go to the City Clerk’s borough office where you originally got your Marriage License to request the change and pay the fee.

Fee

The fee for obtaining a duplicate Marriage License or correcting a Marriage License is $25.

You can pay by credit card, debit card (Visa or MasterCard), or money order payable to the City Clerk. 

Municipal Building
141 Worth Street (between Centre Street and Hamill Place)
New York, NY 10013

Walk-in Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 3:45 PM

Inmates in the custody of the Department of Correction who want to get married must go to the Counseling Unit in their facility. 

The inmate's name is placed on a list by the counselor. A representative from the City Clerk's Office comes to each facility periodically and meets with the individuals on the list. The inmate fills out their half of the Marriage License at that time and receives further instructions from the Counseling Unit.