Marriage Certificate New York

Guide to Marriage Certificates in New York

If you are getting married in the state of New York or want to obtain a marriage certificate in New York for research, judicial, or personal purposes, you may want to know exactly how to do it and whether you're eligible. This guide will explain who can get a copy of a marriage certificate in NY, how much you can expect to spend, and how long the process will take.

Who Can Marry in New York?

In order to get married and obtain an initial marriage certificate in New York, you and your spouse will have to be either 18 or older, or have parental permission for 16 and 17 year olds. 14 and 15 year olds may only marry if they have both parental and judicial permission. Marriages between siblings, uncles and nieces or nephews, and aunts and nieces and nephews are prohibited. You must also have obtained a divorce or annulment for any previous marriages to get a new marriage certificate in NY. Recent changes to the law allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain the same marriage certificate in New York that straight couples can get.

Who Can Obtain a Marriage Certificate Copy?

Only the spouses listed on a marriage certificate or people with a judicial reason to have the marriage certificate can get a certified copy of a marriage certificate in NY. If you are looking for a marriage certificate in New York as part of a historical or geneological research project, you may still obtain a non-certified geneology copy. This kind of copy of a marriage certificate in NY will still have all the same information and will cost $22 if you know the date of the marriage within 3 years. If you require a longer timespan to be searched, the cost increments $20 for each decade searched.

If you are attempting to get a certified copy of a marriage certificate in New York, you will have to present acceptable identification documents. You will need either a driver's license, passport, U.S. military ID, or state ID card, or two documents showing your name and address from a utility company or government agency in the last 6 months. A lack of necessary identification will mean that your request for a marriage certificate in NY is refused.

Fees and Times

If you order your certified copy of a marriage certificate in New York online or over the telephone, you will be charged a $45 fee per copy plus a $7.25 fee for your entire transaction. For an additional $14, you can pay for overnight delivery of the marriage certificate in NY. If you request your copy by mail, you will pay $30 for normal handling and $45 for priority handling. However, this option takes significantly longer: even priority handling takes 2-4 weeks from receipt for you to get your copy of a marriage certificate in New York. Regular handling can take up to 12 weeks in some cases.