Getting Married In New Jersey (Simplfied)

Part 1: The Application

Where To Go

You can apply for a marriage license (a license that gives you the authority to marry) at the municipality in which one spouse lives. So, if one lives in Maplewood and the other in Rahway, they can apply in Maplewood or Rahway with the municipality’s Registrar.

What If They Don’t Live In New Jersey?

The Application & What To Bring

Once you choose a municipality to get married in, based on the address of either spouse or a location if you are from out of State, you will check whether or not the Registrar requires appointments to come in, and if they require you to do an online application.

If you have questions, the registrar is usually within either the Clerk’s Office or the Health Department.

What To Bring

Both spouses are required to bring a State or Federally-issued photo ID, and a witness who is required to be over 18. If you don’t have someone who could be a witness, a member of the municipality’s staff might be willing to sign as a witness. However, they are not required to be, so you may want to call ahead to see if this could be an option.

Note: If residents of New Jersey, at least one person getting married has to have their ID say they live in the municipality they are applying in.

The Application

Each town has a similar but specific application based on who the registrar is. Some have it done on paper, others online. You aren’t required to do it online, but it is usually preferred as it leads to fewer mistakes which take months to be amended.

Information For Paper Application

DO NOT SIGN UNDER “OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF APPLICANTS AND IDENTIFYING WITNESS” UNTIL THE REGISTRAR REVIEWS THE APPLICATION!

Defining each option:

1. Marriage: Is for anyone over the age of 18
2. Re-marriage/ Reaffirmation of Civil Union: Recognizes a previous marriage or union after it has been dissolved.
3. Civil Union: This is for same-sex couples over 18 only

Things To Look Out For

• Make sure for #1 you put the name on your birth certificate
• For domestic status, we need the full date, month, day, year, and place if your status is anything but single.
• Blanks aren’t allowed and will be rejected. So, for example, if you don’t know your birth parents’ names or where they were born, you would put a dash through it.
• You do not have to fill out the bottom portion of page 1, regarding when the ceremony is to be performed when filing the application. You will need to before getting the license to marry.
• For Witnesses: Read number 3 read carefully. Remember, marriage is considered a legal contract, and all information on this application is part of the legal document.

Cost

After July 1^st, 2023, the cost for the application is $28.00. For the State fiscal year 2022 to 2023, it was free, but the State government decided not to waive fees again.

The 72-Hour Hold

You must wait exactly 72 hours before issuing a license (business hours and holidays don’t matter).

Part 2: Getting Married

After the 72 hours have passed, you can request your marriage license – don’t expect the registrar to remind you that it is ready.

Issuances & Paperwork

Once you have your ceremony date, you can request a marriage license to be issued. The issuing Registrar will give you four copies of your marriage license, in which they’ll only fill out the bottom part.

Either spouse or a representative can pick up the license.

Justice Of The Peace

In some towns, they offer the ability to get married by a judge. This isn’t universally offered, and the registrar is not obligated to tell you where to find or recommend an officiant. However, mayors/ deputy mayors, the heads of any religious institution, judges, or a county clerk can act as an officiant. Also, as you see in the movies, you can get married to someone who is an internet minister. Just know legal authority is immensely important, and it is on those getting married to research someone’s credentials.

Expiration

Your marriage application is held for six months automatically, and a couple can request an additional six-month hold before they are required to reapply all over again.

Once picked up, your marriage license is valid for only 30 calendar days. After day 30, it expires, and you have to start the whole process again.

Things To Look Out For

1. When choosing an officiant, ensure they have the legal authority to marry someone. The issuing Registrar is not required to provide you with a list or review the officiant.
2. It is recommended to have one copy of the marriage license done by the officiant, review it, and if everything looks right, then repeat it for the other three copies.
   1. NOTE: You can only make a mistake on one copy before the issuing Registrar has to be involved. At this point, you can get a reissued marriage license if you are within 30 days. However, it is at the discretion of the Registrar whether or not it will be labeled a duplicate or treated as an original.
   2. If all four copies are filled out, and there is an error, you will have to make an amendment, so make sure there are no errors beyond the copy you can keep for yourself. Amendments can take months to be approved by the State after being sent off by the local Registrar.
   3. You CANNOT white out, cross out, or have any corrective marking or fluid on the marriage license.

Returning The Marriage License

One copy the officiant keeps, one copy the newly married couple keeps, and two copies are given to the Registrar of the municipality you get married in. The Municipality will keep one copy and send the last copy to the State.

Note: If your license is issued in Newark, and you get married in Union, the Registrar in Union would not only get your marriage license that was filled and signed by the officiant, including the signature of two witnesses, but they will also issue your certified marriage certificate. Not Newark.

Part 3: Getting A Certified Copy Of Your Marriage Certificate

Note: Your marriage application, marriage license, and marriage certificate are three different things. You DO NOT automatically get your marriage certificate after handing in your marriage license, and if it is mailed or interofficed, the Registrar won’t notify you once it is received. You will have to request a marriage certificate.

Requesting Your Marriage Certificate (or Certificate of Marriage)

1. You must complete an application for a “Certified copy of a vital record.”
2. The cost varies per town, as it is based on their ordinance (their laws).
3. Either spouse can pick up the certificate, and all they would need to show is the same ID they used for the application part of the process.
   1. Others, like a parent or sibling can also request on your behalf, but the process is a little more complicated but will be gone over in how to request a vital record in a separate post.
4. As with applying for a marriage license, and picking one up, check with the Registrar whether an appointment is needed. However, know most can and will mail it to you if you request them to. I can’t guarantee they won’t charge you for postage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What about Domestic Partnerships?

Domestic partnerships are not licensed, have no gender requirements, and are only available for those 62 or older. You also wouldn’t use the Marriage application. What you would present is an affidavit of domestic partnership that notes the name, ages, and mailing addresses of both parties, alongside a statement that, at the time the affidavit is signed, both parties meet the requirements of the Act and wish to enter into a domestic partnership with each other. In order to file such an affidavit, neither person can have been a partner in a domestic partnership that was terminated less than 180 days prior to the filing of the current Affidavit of Domestic Partnership, except that this prohibition does not apply if one of the partners died.

How Do I Get My Name Changed?

You would have that done by the Social Security Administration. Information on the process can be found here.

How Do I Get Records Regarding My Divorce?