New York Marriage License Requirements 2026: Fee, Wait, Officiants

New York marriage licenses come from town and city clerks, and in New York City from the Office of the City Clerk, under Domestic Relations Law (DRL) section 13. You must wait 24 hours after the license is issued before the ceremony, the license lasts 60 days, and both of you must be at least 18. The fee is $35 in New York City and $40 at the Yonkers and Buffalo city clerks, made up of a license fee set in DRL 15 plus a certificate fee under DRL 14-a.

This page covers New York's rules in detail. 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 a marriage license and marrying under New York's Domestic Relations Law, with New York City procedures from the City Clerk. It does not cover divorce, ordering certified copies of older marriage records, common-law marriage, or the rules of other states.

Where to Get a Marriage License in New York

DRL 13 requires couples "to obtain a marriage license from a town or city clerk in New York state." The license is not issued by the state Department of Health, a common mix-up. The Department of Health's Vital Records office only keeps marriage records (back to 1881) for licenses bought outside New York City.

DRL 13 does not tie the license to the county you live in, so you can apply with any town or city clerk in the state. The license is good for a ceremony anywhere in New York State, according to New York City's 311 guidance; the City of Yonkers notes it can only be used within the state.

One narrow statutory exception: if one of you lives on an island at least 25 miles from the town clerk's office, DRL 13 lets a justice of the peace on the island issue the license.

New York City: the City Clerk and Project Cupid

In the five boroughs, the Office of the City Clerk issues licenses. You and your future spouse "must schedule an appointment to appear in person at the City Clerk's Office or attend a virtual appointment through Project Cupid," per NYC 311. Project Cupid runs through nyc.gov/cupid.

If your documents are complete, the City Clerk issues the license the same day as your appointment. The online application you fill out beforehand expires after 21 days, so book the appointment within that window.

Outside New York City

Each town or city clerk runs its own process, so read your clerk's page before you go. Two examples from clerk pages checked for this article:

• Yonkers: you can start the application online, but both of you must appear together in person. No appointment is needed.
• Buffalo: both of you must be present, and the clerk's office issues licenses weekdays until 3:30 pm.

What to Bring: ID and Documents

Under DRL 15(1)(a), both of you sign sworn statements giving facts such as your Social Security number, place of birth, parents' names and any prior marriages. Both of you must also "present to the clerk documentary proof of age," such as a birth record, passport, driver's license, or government or school photo ID.

New York City accepts these IDs, per NYC 311:

• U.S. driver's license or non-driver ID card
• New York State learner's permit
• IDNYC card
• U.S. military ID
• Valid passport from any country
• Certificate of naturalization (issued within the last 10 years)
• Alien Registration Card or Employment Authorization Document

Some clerks outside the city ask for more. The Yonkers and Buffalo clerk pages require a certified long-form birth certificate that shows your parents' names. Call ahead or check your clerk's list.

If either of you was married before

New York City asks you to list every prior marriage, the former spouse's full name, and the date and place of the death or divorce. The clerk may ask for the final divorce decree, and every divorce must be final before you apply. DRL 15 also lets a clerk outside the city require a certified copy of a divorce decree.

Residency

Neither DRL 13 nor DRL 15 requires New York residency, and the New York City and Buffalo clerk pages list none. Couples from other states and countries apply the same way residents do.

How Much Does a New York Marriage License Cost?

The issuing clerk collects the fee, and New York City charges a different amount from the rest of the state. These are the fees on official clerk pages as of October 7, 2026:

Where the numbers come from: outside New York City, DRL 15(4) sets the license fee at $30, and the clerk sends $22.50 of it to the state Department of Health. DRL 14-a(2) adds a fee of up to $10 for the certificate of marriage registration, "payable at the time of issuance of the marriage license" and fixed by the town board or city council. Together those make the $40 that clerks outside the city charge; the Town of Cortlandt's clerk notes that its $40 fee "includes the issuance of a Certificate of Marriage Registration." In New York City, DRL 15(5) sets the City Clerk's license fee at $25, not $30, and the DRL 14-a certificate fee of up to $10 applies there too, which is consistent with the $35 that NYC 311 lists. Your clerk's page is the final word on the current amount.

Active-duty military: under DRL 15(4), a town or city may not collect the state's share of the fee from a member of the armed forces on active duty, and it may waive its own share. Under DRL 14-a(3)(b), it may also waive the certificate fee.

Other New York City fees

NYC 311 lists these related City Clerk fees:

• Duplicate or corrected license: $25
• One-day marriage officiant license: $25
• Officiant registration with the City Clerk: $15

The 24-Hour Waiting Period and How to Waive It

There is no wait to apply, but DRL 13-b sets a wait before the ceremony: "A marriage shall not be solemnized within twenty-four hours after the issuance of the marriage license, unless authorized by an order of a court of record."

A justice of the Supreme Court, or the county judge or Family Court judge of the county where either of you lives, can sign that order. The grounds in DRL 13-b are imminent death, an emergency, or circumstances where waiting would cause irreparable injury or great hardship.

In New York City, NYC 311 says you request the judicial waiver from the County Clerk in the borough where you got your license, at no charge. Give the signed order to your officiant, who attaches it when returning the license.

The officiant must file the waiver order with the clerk who issued the license within five days after the marriage. An officiant who performs a ceremony in violation of DRL 13-b commits a misdemeanor, punishable by a $50 fine and a 90-day suspension of the right to perform marriages.

How Long a New York Marriage License Is Valid

A New York marriage license expires 60 days after it is issued. DRL 13-b says a marriage shall not be solemnized "after sixty days from the date of the issuance of the marriage license unless authorized pursuant to section ten of the veterans' services law."

New York City says the 60 days begin the day after the license is issued, and it gives active-duty military applicants 180 days. If the license expires before the ceremony, check with your clerk about applying again.

Age Requirements: No Marriage Under 18

New York has a flat minimum age of 18. DRL 15-a states: "Any marriage in which either party is under the age of eighteen years is hereby prohibited." There are no exceptions, and a clerk who knowingly issues a license to someone under 18 commits a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine.

This is a 2021 change. Senate Bill S3086, which set the 18-only rule, passed the Senate 61-2 on May 11, 2021, and the Senate's bill page records it signed as Chapter 306 of the Laws of 2021 on July 22, 2021. It took effect on the thirtieth day after it became law (August 21, 2021) and applies to licenses issued on and after that date. Older guides describing marriage at 16 or 17 with parental consent are out of date.

DRL 7 still lists a party being "under the age of legal consent, which is eighteen years" as a ground to annul a marriage.

Who Cannot Marry in New York

DRL 5 makes these marriages void:

• An ancestor and a descendant
• A brother and sister, of the whole or the half blood
• An uncle and niece, or an aunt and nephew

First cousins are not on that list, so DRL 5 does not bar them from marrying. DRL 5 also sets a penalty of a $50 to $100 fine and up to six months in jail.

Under DRL 6, a marriage is void if either party has a living former spouse, unless that earlier marriage was annulled or dissolved. DRL 13 also provides that "No application for a marriage license shall be denied on the ground that the parties are of the same, or a different, sex."

Does New York Require a Blood Test?

No. The New York City Clerk states that "No premarital physical exam or blood test is required to obtain a Marriage License in New York State." DRL 13-aa, an older section about sickle cell testing, is still in the statute and says such a test "shall be given" to certain applicants, but it also says no license is denied based on a test result and that the absence of the test does not invalidate a marriage: "nor shall the absence of such test invalidate a marriage."

Who Can Officiate a Wedding in New York

DRL 11 lists who may solemnize a marriage:

• Clergy and ministers of any religion, and leaders of Ethical Culture societies
• The governor, mayors, county executives and certain other officials
• Judges and magistrates
• The New York City Clerk and designated deputies
• State legislators (who may not charge a fee)
• Certain tribal officials
• A one-day marriage officiant licensed under DRL 11-d

DRL 11(4) also allows a written contract of marriage, signed by both of you and two witnesses and acknowledged before a judge of a court of record. New York has no separate self-uniting license.

One-day marriage officiant license

DRL 11-d lets anyone 18 or older marry one specific couple: "A town or city clerk shall issue a one-day marriage officiant license upon request." The officiant does not need to live in New York and does not have to appear in person to apply.

Key points from the statute and the New York City Clerk:

• Where to apply: the same clerk's office where the couple gets their license.
• Fee: $25.
• Scope: valid only for the couple named on it, anywhere in New York State, and it expires after the ceremony or when the marriage license expires.
• New York City timing: the couple must already have their marriage license, and the City Clerk processes all one-day applications at its Manhattan office. Card payment works in person only; by mail, send a notarized application with a money order.
• Before the ceremony: the New York City Clerk warns the one-day license must be issued before the ceremony or the marriage is invalid. The returned marriage license goes back with the one-day license attached within five days.

New York City says it has offered the one-day license since March 28, 2023.

Officiant registration in New York City

Under DRL 11-b, anyone authorized to perform marriages must register with the New York City Clerk before officiating a ceremony in the city. NYC 311 lists a $15 fee and a notarized application mailed to the Manhattan office. One-day officiants are exempt under DRL 11-d(7). The sections reviewed for this article contain no similar registry for ceremonies outside the city.

Witnesses and the ceremony

DRL 12 requires no particular form of ceremony. You must solemnly declare that you take each other as spouses, and "at least one witness beside the clergyman, magistrate, or such one-day marriage officiant must be present."

Proxy Marriage

New York's statute provides no proxy route. DRL 12 requires the parties to make their declaration in the presence of the officiant and a witness, and the written-contract route in DRL 11(4) requires acknowledgment before a judge.

After the Ceremony: Returning the License and Getting Your Certificate

Your officiant returns the completed license to the clerk who issued it. In New York City, NYC 311 says to return it within five business days, while the City Clerk's one-day officiant guide says within five days, so return it promptly. Outside the city, ask the issuing clerk for its deadline.

Under DRL 14-a(1), the clerk must "issue to the couple within fifteen days after such receipt or return of the completed marriage license a certificate of marriage." New York City estimates about 20 days for a certificate by mail, or the same day if you married at the City Clerk's office.

For extra certified copies later, see New York marriage and divorce records and our guide on how to get a copy of your marriage certificate.

Changing your name

DRL 15(1)(b) puts a name-change notice on the license application. Either spouse may enter a new surname (the other spouse's, a former surname, or a combined or hyphenated name) and a new middle name, and the marriage certificate serves as proof. New York City says the change takes legal effect at the end of the ceremony. For updating your records afterward, see New York name change laws and name change after marriage.

Common Myths About New York Marriage Licenses

• "The state Health Department issues licenses." Town and city clerks do (DRL 13). The Department of Health only keeps records for licenses bought outside New York City.
• "You need a blood test." No blood test is required, according to the New York City Clerk.
• "A 16 or 17 year old can marry with parental consent." Not since 2021; the minimum is 18 with no exceptions (DRL 15-a).
• "First cousins cannot marry." DRL 5 does not bar them.
• "Only ordained clergy can officiate." Any adult 18 or older can get a $25 one-day officiant license (DRL 11-d).
• "The New York City fee is $40." NYC 311 lists $35; $40 is what the Yonkers and Buffalo clerks charge.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about New York's Domestic Relations Law and New York City marriage license procedures, verified on October 7, 2026. It is not legal advice. For questions about your specific situation, contact the town or city clerk issuing your license (in New York City, the Office of the City Clerk) or a lawyer licensed in New York.

Related

• Marriage license requirements by state
• New York marriage and divorce records
• New York common-law marriage
• New York name change laws
• New Jersey marriage license requirements
• Connecticut marriage license requirements

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a marriage license in New York?

It depends on the issuing clerk. New York City charges $35, and the Yonkers and Buffalo city clerks list $40 as of October 2026. Check your clerk's page for the current fee and accepted payment methods.

How long do you have to wait after getting a marriage license in New York?

24 hours. DRL 13-b bars a ceremony within 24 hours of the license being issued unless a judge of a court of record signs an order waiving the wait.

How long is a New York marriage license good for?

60 days from issuance under DRL 13-b. New York City says the 60 days begin the day after the license is issued, and active-duty military applicants in the city get 180 days.

Can I get a New York marriage license online?

In New York City, yes, through a Project Cupid virtual appointment at nyc.gov/cupid, with both of you on the video call. Outside the city, check your clerk: Yonkers lets you start the application online but you must still appear together in person.

Can a 16 or 17 year old get married in New York with parental consent?

No. Since Chapter 306 of the Laws of 2021, DRL 15-a prohibits any marriage in which either party is under 18, with no exceptions.

Can a friend officiate a wedding in New York?

Yes, with a one-day marriage officiant license under DRL 11-d. Any person 18 or older can get one from a town or city clerk for $25; it covers one named couple and must be issued before the ceremony.

Do you need witnesses to get married in New York?

Yes. DRL 12 requires at least one witness besides the officiant to be present at the ceremony.

Do you have to be a New York resident to get married there?

No residency requirement appears in DRL 13 or DRL 15, and the New York City and Buffalo clerk pages list none. Bring the ID and documents your clerk asks for.

Can first cousins marry in New York?

First cousins are not on the list of void relationships in DRL 5, which covers ancestors and descendants, brothers and sisters, and uncle-niece or aunt-nephew marriages.

How do I get my marriage certificate in New York?

After the officiant returns the signed license, the clerk issues the certificate of marriage to the couple within 15 days (DRL 14-a). New York City estimates about 20 days by mail, or same day if you married at the City Clerk's office.