Connecticut Marriage License Requirements 2026: 48-Hour Wait, $50

In Connecticut, you get a marriage license from the registrar of vital statistics in the town where the wedding will take place, and both of you must apply in person (C.G.S. §§ 46b-24, 46b-25). The fee is $50 statewide. Since October 1, 2026, Public Act 26-141 requires a 48-hour wait before the town can issue the license, and the license now lasts 65 days from the day it is issued.

For other states, see our guide to marriage license requirements by state.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers getting married in Connecticut under Chapter 815e of the Connecticut General Statutes (as amended by Public Act 26-141 and Public Act 25-72) and the fee schedule in C.G.S. § 7-73, with local practice from Hartford, Hamden and Bridgeport. It does not cover divorce, ordering old marriage records, common-law marriage, or marriage licenses from other states.

What changed on October 1, 2026

Connecticut's marriage license rules changed this fall, and many sources have not caught up. Public Act 26-141 (Substitute House Bill 5509, approved June 4, 2026) amended C.G.S. §§ 46b-24 and 46b-25 effective October 1, 2026. Those changes are now in force.

Watch out for stale text. When we checked, the codified statute pages on the General Assembly website (both the current edition and the 2026 supplement) and the Department of Public Health booklet "Marriage License Laws of Connecticut" (VS-12, revised August 2025) still showed the old wording. Some town websites also still describe the old rules. The Public Act is the controlling text, and the Department of Public Health marriage license page already reflects the 48-hour wait.

Where to apply for a Connecticut marriage license

You apply to the registrar of vital statistics for the town where the marriage will be celebrated (C.G.S. § 46b-24(a)). In practice that is the town clerk or the town's vital records office. Connecticut has no county clerks for marriage licenses, so the town is the only level that matters.

Both of you must appear before the registrar (C.G.S. § 46b-25). The Department of Public Health puts it plainly: you and your spouse-to-be must appear in person at the local vital records office of the town where your marriage will occur. No source we checked offers a fully remote or video application.

You do not need to live in Connecticut. What matters is where the ceremony will happen, so a couple from out of state applies in the town that hosts their wedding. A license from one town is not meant for a wedding in another, so settle the venue before you apply.

Many towns work by appointment. Hamden states that marriage licenses are by appointment only, and Bridgeport takes no applications after 4 p.m. Some towns offer an online worksheet you fill out first (Hamden and New Haven, for example), but Hamden notes that completing its online worksheet does not count as the official application. The 48-hour clock starts only when you apply in person.

Documents and ID

The statute lists what the application records: each person's name, age, birthplace, residence, whether single, widowed or divorced, and whether under a conservator or guardian. Each of you signs the application under oath, and both Social Security numbers are recorded in the license's "administrative purposes" section (C.G.S. § 46b-25).

The statute does not list specific ID documents, and the Department of Public Health says only that you must provide identification. Town requirements differ:

• Hartford: a driver's license or non-driver photo ID plus your Social Security card; non-residents can use a passport.
• Bridgeport: a government-issued photo ID showing date of birth, signature and expiration date. Without a photo ID, Bridgeport accepts documents from two categories on its substitute list.
• Hamden: a government photo ID. Hamden also says you should know the date your previous marriage ended.

Call your town before the appointment. No statute requires you to bring a divorce decree, but your town may ask for details of a prior marriage.

If either of you is under a conservatorship, the conservator's written consent must be filed with the registrar (C.G.S. § 46b-29).

How much a Connecticut marriage license costs

The fee is $50 in every town. C.G.S. § 7-73 sets a $15 license fee plus a $35 surcharge. The registrar keeps $1 of the surcharge and sends the rest to the Department of Public Health for an account that funds household-abuse shelter services and rape crisis services.

The license fee is set by statute, but payment methods and certified copy fees are set locally and can change. Your town's page is the final word on how to pay. We found no premarital education discount in Connecticut.

The 48-hour waiting period

Under C.G.S. § 46b-25 as amended by Public Act 26-141, the registrar may not issue a license "sooner than forty-eight hours after the time of such application." If the two of you sign the application at different times, the clock runs from the later signature. The Department of Public Health says the town cannot issue the license until at least 48 hours have passed after the second spouse-to-be signs.

The amended C.G.S. § 46b-24(b) adds that the ceremony itself may not be performed sooner than 48 hours after the application. The act text contains no waiver of the 48-hour period.

Plan for it. If you are traveling to Connecticut for a weekend wedding, you need time for an in-person application, a 48-hour gap, and a return trip to pick up the license during the town's office hours. Ask your town how it handles pickup.

How long the license lasts

The ceremony must take place no later than 65 days after the license is issued (C.G.S. § 46b-24(b) as amended by Public Act 26-141). Before October 1, 2026, the 65 days ran from the date of application.

The Department of Public Health says your license is good for up to 65 days after the town gives it to you. After 65 days, the license expires and you would need to apply again.

Who can marry in Connecticut

Age: 18, no exceptions

Both of you must be at least 18 (C.G.S. § 46b-20a(2)). Connecticut has closed off marriage under 18 in two steps:

• 2017: Public Act 17-54 (effective October 1, 2017) ended marriage on parental consent alone and required probate court approval, on a parent's or guardian's petition, for 16- and 17-year-olds.
• 2023: Public Act 23-44 (effective July 1, 2023) removed the 16- and 17-year-old route entirely.

No court order or parental consent can now authorize a Connecticut marriage license for someone under 18.

Relatives you cannot marry

A marriage is void if it is between a person and a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent's sibling, sibling's child, stepparent or stepchild (C.G.S. § 46b-21).

First cousins became ineligible to marry on October 1, 2025, under a separate section. Public Act 25-72 created C.G.S. § 46b-21a: "On and after October 1, 2025, no person may knowingly marry such person's first cousin." Before that date, first-cousin marriage was allowed in Connecticut. The act text does not address marriages entered before October 1, 2025; if that question affects you, ask a Connecticut lawyer.

Existing marriages

You are eligible to marry only if you are not a party to another marriage or a substantially similar relationship (C.G.S. § 46b-20a). Chapter 815e sets no waiting period after a divorce; the former section on marriage after a divorce, C.G.S. § 46b-31, was repealed.

Same-sex couples

Connecticut's marriage laws are gender-neutral. C.G.S. § 46b-20 defines marriage as "the legal union of two persons."

No blood test

Connecticut does not require a blood test or medical exam. The former premarital test sections, C.G.S. §§ 46b-26 and 46b-27, were repealed effective October 1, 2003. The Department of Public Health confirms that you do not need a blood test to get a marriage license in Connecticut.

Who can officiate a Connecticut wedding

C.G.S. § 46b-22(a) lists who may join people in marriage:

• All judges and retired judges, elected or appointed, including federal judges and judges of other states who may join persons in marriage in their own jurisdictions.
• Family support magistrates, family support referees, state referees, and justices of the peace appointed in Connecticut.
• "All ordained or licensed members of the clergy, belonging to this state or any other state."

The statute does not mention online ordination. The Department of Public Health reads the clergy category to include persons who have been ordained through online ministries and who are given the authority to officiate marriages through such ministries. That is the agency's reading; neither the statute nor Public Act 26-141 addresses it directly.

The sections we reviewed contain no state registration for officiants and no one-day or temporary officiant designation. A friend who wants to officiate must fit one of the categories above. Under C.G.S. § 46b-22(a), "all marriages attempted to be celebrated by any other person are void."

The ceremony must be "conducted by and in the physical presence of" an authorized officiant (C.G.S. § 46b-24(d)). Section 46b-22(a) separately says that marriages "solemnized according to the forms and usages of any religious denomination in this state" are valid, so if you plan a religious ceremony without an officiant, confirm it with your town registrar first. Chapter 815e contains no proxy marriage provision. A public official who issues licenses may not marry a couple under a license that official or an assistant or deputy issued (C.G.S. § 46b-22(b)).

Penalties apply to people who officiate without authority: a fine of up to $50 under C.G.S. § 46b-22(c), and for knowingly doing so, up to $500, up to one year in prison, or both under C.G.S. § 46b-23.

Witnesses: the marriage statutes we reviewed do not set a witness requirement. Ask your town registrar or your officiant whether they expect witnesses.

New rules for justices of the peace

Public Act 26-141 also tightens oversight of justices of the peace. New qualification and appointment rules took effect October 1, 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, the Secretary of the State can investigate justice of the peace misconduct, and a justice of the peace may not perform a marriage the justice knows or should know is unlawful or fraudulent. The act also creates a working group on justices of the peace, human trafficking, forced marriage and marriage fraud.

After the ceremony

The officiant certifies the fact, time and place of the marriage on the license certificate and returns it to the registrar of the town where the marriage took place. The deadline is "before or during the first week of the month following the marriage" (C.G.S. § 46b-34). An officiant who fails to do so can be fined up to $10.

If your officiant never returns the certificate, C.G.S. § 46b-34(b) lets the couple record a notarized affidavit with the registrar, and the marriage is deemed valid as of the date stated.

Certified copies are available from the town, by mail from the Department of Public Health, or online through VitalChek, according to the Department of Public Health. Hamden and Bridgeport charge $20 per certified copy. For more on ordering later, see Connecticut marriage and divorce records.

The marriage application does not include a name-change field. To change your surname after the wedding, see Connecticut name change laws and our guide to changing your name after marriage.

Common myths about Connecticut marriage licenses

• "You can get a license and marry the same day." That ended on October 1, 2026. Public Act 26-141 requires at least 48 hours between application and issuance.
• "The license lasts 65 days from when you apply." Since October 1, 2026, the 65 days run from issuance.
• "First cousins can marry in Connecticut." Not for marriages on or after October 1, 2025 (C.G.S. § 46b-21a).
• "A 16- or 17-year-old can marry with court approval." That route ended July 1, 2023 (Public Act 23-44).
• "You can get the license in any town." The license comes from the town where the marriage will be celebrated (C.G.S. § 46b-24(a)).
• "You need a blood test." Repealed effective October 1, 2003.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Connecticut marriage license law under Chapter 815e of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended by Public Act 26-141 and Public Act 25-72, verified on October 7, 2026. It is not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact the registrar of vital statistics in the town where you plan to marry, or a lawyer licensed in Connecticut.

Related

• Marriage license requirements by state
• Rhode Island marriage license requirements
• Massachusetts marriage license requirements
• Connecticut common-law marriage
• Connecticut marriage and divorce records

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a waiting period to get married in Connecticut?

Yes, since October 1, 2026. The town registrar cannot issue the license sooner than 48 hours after you apply, and the ceremony cannot happen sooner than 48 hours after the application (Public Act 26-141, amending C.G.S. §§ 46b-24 and 46b-25).

How much does a Connecticut marriage license cost?

$50 in every town: a $15 license fee plus a $35 surcharge under C.G.S. § 7-73. Certified copies are extra; Hamden and Bridgeport charge $20 each.

How long is a Connecticut marriage license good for?

65 days after the town issues it (C.G.S. § 46b-24(b) as amended by Public Act 26-141). After that, the Department of Public Health says the license expires and you must apply again.

Can we get married the same day we get our license in Connecticut?

Not anymore. Same-day weddings ended on October 1, 2026, when Public Act 26-141 added a 48-hour minimum between application and issuance.

Which town do we apply in?

The town where the wedding will take place, not the town where you live (C.G.S. § 46b-24(a)). You do not need to be a Connecticut resident.

Can first cousins marry in Connecticut?

No, for marriages on or after October 1, 2025. Public Act 25-72 added C.G.S. § 46b-21a, which says no person may knowingly marry a first cousin.

Can a 16- or 17-year-old marry in Connecticut?

No. Both people must be at least 18 under C.G.S. § 46b-20a. Public Act 23-44 removed the probate court approval route effective July 1, 2023.

Can someone ordained online officiate a wedding in Connecticut?

The statute authorizes ordained or licensed clergy of any state (C.G.S. § 46b-22(a)). The Department of Public Health page says that includes people ordained through online ministries who are given authority to officiate by those ministries.

Do you need a blood test to get married in Connecticut?

No. The premarital test sections, C.G.S. §§ 46b-26 and 46b-27, were repealed effective October 1, 2003, and the Department of Public Health confirms no blood test is needed.