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.

More rules and local paths
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Waiting period
24 hours

A judge can waive it in limited circumstances.

License window
60 days

The count begins the day after issuance.

Outside NYC
$40

NYC sets its own fee and appointment process.

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

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