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Resources

If you are planning to

Get Married in

New York City,

here are some basic things your need to know.



An official marriage certificate form with sections for bride and groom details, witness information, and signatures.
  • You absolutely don’t need to live in the United States or be a New York resident to be married in NYC. You don’t need to be a US citizen to be wed in New York either.


  • The first thing you need to do is obtain your marriage license. To that end, you begin by making an appointment with the City Clerk office by going to this page: City Clerk’s office We recommend that you visit the appointment website about 3 weeks prior to your wedding date, and you make an appointment for at least a day before your wedding.
  • After you secured your appointment (to see the City Clerk officer in person) you can fill out your application for a marriage license, this will speed up the process greatly. At the end of your application you will receive a confirmation number which indicates that your information was submitted and it is now in our government’s data base.


  • Next, both you and your spouse to be must go TOGETHER to the City clerk’s office to pick up your license.


  • Virtual appointments are no longer an option. You will visit the office in person at the date and time of your appointment.


  • New in-person appointments become available Here 


  • During your interview, you must both show a form of Id (passport, drivers license, state id, etc) during your interview. You should also bring a copy of your divorce papers, if you were married before.


  • After you obtained your marriage license you will need to wait 24 hours to have your ceremony. This means: You can NOT have your wedding ceremony the same day that you obtained your license.


  • Of course you don’t need to get married immediately after you obtained your license. Your license is good for 60 days. After you have your license in your hands you can get married within 60 days.


  • On the day of your wedding, you will bring us your marriage license, and the officiant, the witness (you only need one witness), and the couple will sign it.


  • We will take care of the filling and you will receive your Wedding Certificate in the mail within 3-6 weeks.


  • If you are in a hurry and you don’t want to wait 3-6 weeks to receive your Marriage Certificate, you may go back to the City Clerk’s office with your signed license in hand and obtain your wedding certificate right there on the spot. You MUST make a second appointment at the City Clerks office, (in person), within 5 business days after the ceremony! you can set that appointment online, and select "RECORDS DEPT". Please read HERE.


How to obtain a marriage license?

Super easy! When you are ready to get married, and if you want to speed up the process, simply go online HERE.  Fill out the application for a “marriage license”. After this is filled out, you will go to the City Clerk’s office to pick up your license. Filling out the paperwork online will expedite this process & you can obtain your license in 10 minutes.

The fee for a Marriage License is $35 by credit card or money order payable to the City Clerk. A New York State Marriage License is valid for 60 days. Meaning we must conduct your ceremony within 60 days of your obtaining your license. A Marriage License issued in New York can be used anywhere within New York State.


A solid black five-pointed star on a white background.
A solid black five-pointed star on a white background.

Is a marriage legal elsewhere?

YES! Your marriage is legal absolutely everywhere else. Some non-English speaking countries will require you to do an extra step to validate your certificate in your country. 


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Not a US Resident:

There are no residence or citizenship requirements to be married in New York. Just bring your passport.


A solid black, five-pointed star centered on a white background.

Proper Identification

You and your prospective spouse must have one form of proper identification in order to apply for a Marriage license.

We accept the following forms of identification for most of the services we provide. Expired identification is not accepted.

  • IDNYC
  • Driver License with photograph (from the United States of America or any of its territories)
  • Non-Driver Identification Card with photograph (from the United States of America or any of its territories)
  • Learner Permit with photograph (from the United States of America or any of its territories)
  • Active United States Military Identification Card
  • Passport
  • United States Certificate of Naturalization (good for 10 years after date of issue)
  • United States Permanent Resident Card
  • United States Employment Authorization Card


A solid black five-pointed star on a white background.

No Identification

If you do not possess any of the forms of identification, you may contact the Legal Bureau of the Office of the City Clerk in person or by writing to:


Office of the City Clerk
Legal Bureau
141 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013


Blood Test Not Required



What if you are divorced?

  • If you were married before, you must list all prior marriages. You must include your previous spouse’s full name; the date the divorce decree was granted; and the city, state, and country where the divorce was issued.
  • All divorces, annulments, and dissolutions must be finalized before you apply for a new Marriage License.
  • You may be asked to produce the final divorce decree.
  • If your spouse is deceased, you must provide such spouse’s full name and date of death.


A solid black, five-pointed star on a white background.



Still have a question?


How do you get your Certificate of Marriage?


  • As soon as your wedding ceremony is over, the wedding officiant, the couple, and the witness will sign the marriage license.


  • The officiant will mail the signed license back to the City Clerk’s office.


  • If you are working with us, please know that we mail it IMMEDIATELY after the ceremony is over.


  • The City Clerk will receive signed marriage license, they will process it, and they will mail your Wedding Certificate to the mailing address that you provided on your marriage license application.


  • Your certificate of marriage should arrive in about 3 - 6 weeks. The certificate of marriage looks like this:


A Certificate of Marriage Registration issued by the New York City Clerk for two individuals married on February 14, 2020.
A blank marriage license application form with a red circle highlighting the area for the license number.

FYI: If you are in a hurry, and need to get your certificate right away, we recommend that you take your signed marriage license to the City Clerk’s office in person so that they can issue the wedding certificate right there on the spot.


You can make an appointment to see them in person here: RECORD ROOM.

I hope this was helpful.


Please do not contact your wedding officiant asking them about your Certificate. They already did their job. Now it is up to the Clerk’s officer to do theirs in a timely manner.


We Are Here for You

If you are searching for a bilingual, inclusive, and fully licensed officiant to lead your ceremony with care, clarity, and compassion, Eternal Love Weddings is ready to support you. We believe every love story, every family, and every new beginning deserves to be honored with thoughtfulness and authenticity.