Information for obtaining the New York State Marriage License

I was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest on March 1, 1980 in at St. Luke’s in Brentwood, NY, the first bilingual ordination in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. I am no longer affiliated with the Roman Church and am now a Priest of the Old Catholic Church. My parish is St. Francis Community of Faith for All People, in Plainview, NY. https://www.cfapli.net/ If you wish to have your wedding at our Church, we will be happy to make arrangements with you.

By virtue of my Catholic ordination I am authorized to officiate throughout New York State. New York City has its own registry unlike any of the other counties in the state. I am registered to officiate in NY City under Registration # 14637, Book 1998, Page #36.

I officiate regularly in New Jersey and Connecticut and those two states do not require any additional registration for ordained Catholic clergy. For other states arrangements can be made with proper notice.

Obtaining Your New York State Marriage License

This link provides general information about obtaining your Marriage License in New York:https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/4210/

The license is a statewide license, so it can be issued from anywhere in the State of New York and the ceremony can take place anywhere in the state. If you are being married in New York you must have a New York Marriage License. If you live in another state, you need to make arrangements to obtain your license in New York with sufficient time before the wedding.

To get a New York State Marriage License, you will generally need two forms of ID. The first category is a Passport or Driver’s License for identification. The second category is Birth or Baptismal Certificate. If your Birth Certificate is not in English, they will ask for a certified translation. The link above explains alternate forms of ID.

The five boroughs of the City of New York accept a single form of ID. A Passport or Driver’s License is all you need at any of the five City of New York City Clerk’s Offices. The link below provides more NYC information.

If you or your fiance were previously married and were divorced, you will need proof of the divorce.

If you or your fiance have been widowed, you will need a death certificate.

For all of the documentation referenced here, photocopies are generally not acceptable.

The New York State Marriage License is good for 60 days, but has a 24 hour waiting period before it becomes valid..

As the officiant I have five business days to return the Marriage License to the clerk’s office that issued it. The clerk then sends the couple a Certificate of Marriage which is your legal document proving you are married. I can make a copy of the signed license for you after the ceremony if you need some documentation of your marriage while you are waiting for the official certificate. Processing time depends on the office and the time of year, however you are legally married from the date and time you took your vows, as indicated on the Marriage License.

The City of New York has online forms that you can fill out at home to make the process move more quickly when you go to pick up the license. Here is the link to NY City’s site: http://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov./html/marriage/marriage_bureau.shtml

The fee for obtaining your Marriage License from the Clerk’s office is generally $35. Or $40.