Life paperwork · Marriage

Getting married in New York starts at the clerk's counter.

The celebration can look any way you like. The legal path is shorter: get the license, wait out the clock, use an authorized officiant, bring a witness, and make sure the completed record gets back to the issuing clerk.

The ordinary marriage

Get the license before planning the legal ceremony

Usually, both people go to a New York town or city clerk for the license, wait 24 hours, marry in New York before the license expires, use an authorized officiant, bring at least one witness, and make sure the completed license returns to the clerk. New York City uses its own City Clerk and appointment system.

The application

Both applicants must be at least 18 and apply together with the clerk's required identity records.

Outside New York City, the couple may use any New York town or city clerk. Prior marriages must be listed, and the clerk may require a divorce decree or death record. New York does not require a blood test.

State marriage-license guide ->
The clock

The ceremony normally waits 24 hours, and the license is valid for 60 calendar days beginning the next day.

A judge can waive the 24-hour wait in the circumstances allowed by law. An active-duty U.S. military member can qualify for a 180-day solemnization period when the required proof is given to the issuing clerk.

State waiting-period and license rules ->
Fee and place

A license issued outside New York City costs $40 and can be used only for a ceremony in New York State.

The $40 includes the Certificate of Marriage Registration. New York City sets its own current fee and uses appointments through the City Clerk and Project Cupid, including its current virtual-license option.

NYC City Clerk marriage-license page ->
The ceremony

Use an authorized officiant and at least one witness; no special wording or style is required.

Each person must declare before the officiant and witness that they take the other as a spouse. An adult friend can get a $25 one-day officiant license from the same clerk that issued the couple's license, but it must be issued before the ceremony and covers only that couple.

One-day marriage officiant rules ->
The record

The ceremony is not the last paperwork step; the completed license must return to the issuing clerk.

Outside New York City, the clerk says the registration certificate is mailed within 15 calendar days after the officiant returns the completed license. Contact the issuing clerk if it has not arrived within four weeks of the wedding.

State marriage-record instructions ->

Ordinary example

A license issued Friday at 3 p.m.

Without a judicial waiver, the ceremony cannot begin before Saturday at 3 p.m. The 60-day license period begins Saturday. Before anyone travels, the couple should confirm that the officiant is authorized, the witness is coming, and the ceremony will take place inside New York State.

What changes the answer

Facts that change the answer

New York City
The City Clerk controls appointments, current fees, office procedures, and NYC officiant registration. A one-day officiant follows the separate City application route.
Prior records or mismatched names
A divorce, death, foreign document, translation, or name mismatch can change what the clerk needs to see before issuing the license.
The timing or officiant
A judicial waiver, active-duty extension, one-day officiant, or an officiant performing in NYC can add a separate proof or registration step.

Do this next

Next steps

  1. Choose the issuing clerk Read that office's appointment, identification, payment, and prior-marriage instructions before making the trip.
  2. Protect the ceremony details Check the exact issue time, expiration date, New York location, officiant authority, one-day license when needed, and witness.
  3. Close the record loop Confirm the officiant returned the license, get the official certificate, and use the separate name-change path only if a spouse chooses it.
More rules and local paths
Rules & LicensesRules notesStarting a business in New YorkSchool enrollment after a moveBirth, death, and marriage recordsChanging a name in New YorkAfter a death in New YorkNew child and family leaveDivorce and separation in New YorkHome & Property

The useful order

  1. Choose the clerk first.

    Outside New York City, both people apply together at any New York town or city clerk. You do not have to use the clerk where either person lives. In the five boroughs, the front door is the NYC City Clerk and Project Cupid.

  2. Check that office's document list.

    Both applicants must be at least 18 and need proof of age and identity. The application also asks about earlier marriages, and a clerk may need the final divorce decree or a former spouse's death record. New York does not require a blood test.

  3. Leave room for the clock.

    The ceremony normally cannot happen during the first 24 hours after the license is issued. The license is valid for 60 calendar days beginning the next day. An active-duty U.S. military member may qualify for a 180-day period.

  4. Set the officiant before the ceremony.

    Use someone New York law authorizes, or have an adult apply for a one-day officiant license from the same clerk that issued the couple's marriage license. The one-day license must be issued before the ceremony and covers only that couple.

  5. Bring at least one witness.

    New York does not require a particular ceremony, but each person must state that they take the other as a spouse in front of the officiant and at least one witness. A New York license can be used only for a ceremony in New York State.

  6. Make sure the record comes back.

    The officiant returns the completed license to the clerk that issued it. Outside New York City, the state says the clerk sends the Certificate of Marriage Registration after the completed license is returned. Contact the issuing clerk if it has not arrived within four weeks of the wedding.

New York City has its own front door

In Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, use the NYC City Clerk. The City Clerk says its Marriage Bureau currently uses appointments and does not permit walk-ins. Project Cupid handles in-person appointments, and the City Clerk says virtual marriage-license appointments are still available. Check that page again before making travel plans because office hours, appointment inventory, and fees can change.

Names belong on the application

A name change is optional. New York Courts says a person can choose a new middle name and an allowed married last name on the marriage-license application, but not a first name. After the ceremony, the marriage certificate is the proof used to update records. It does not update Social Security, DMV, a passport, payroll, or financial accounts automatically.

A sensible order is to get the official certificate, update the Social Security record, then work through DMV, passport, payroll, voter registration, insurance, and financial accounts. Keep the old and new names consistent from one update to the next, and use each agency's current document list rather than assuming one certified copy will satisfy every counter.

The clerk's list controls the errand

The statewide rules are the frame, but the issuing office controls appointments, accepted payment, and the exact documents it wants to see. Call or read the clerk's current page before leaving home, especially after a divorce, when a document was issued outside the United States, or when the names on the identification do not match.

Official sources

Reviewed July 14, 2026. Clerk procedures and fees can change; confirm the current office instructions before relying on a trip or date.

Page feedback

Send a page note

Send a note about this page. The page address will be included automatically.

Send a note