Who Can Perform Marriages In New York?

Marriage ceremonies in New York must be performed by individuals specified in Section 11 of the State Domestic Relations Law, including current or former governors, mayors, city clerks, and former mayors. New York residents over 18 can apply for a one-day designation to perform marriage ceremonies in the state. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) does not have the authority to advise on the need for an officiant. In Florida, only authorized officials have the authority to solemnize marriages, including ordained ministers, religious leaders, and circuit court judges. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation creating an application process for a “one-day designation,” streamlining the process for friends and family to solemnize weddings. Marriage laws in New York are primarily directed by Article 3, Section 11 of the state code, which defines persons authorized to perform a marriage in the state. Both parties must be 18 years of age or older, have permission from both parents or legal guardians, and cannot be forced into marriage under duress or fraudulent means.

Does the minister have to be a resident of New York to perform marriage?

The person performing the ceremony must be registered with the City of New York in order to perform a ceremony within the New York City limits. The officiant does not have to be a resident of New York State. Ship captains are not authorized to perform marriage ceremonies in New York State.

Where do you get copies of records?. For copies of marriage licenses issued anywhere in New York State except the five boroughs of New York City, a certified copy of the marriage record may be obtained from the office of the town or city clerk who issued the license, or from the New York State Department of Health. The fee is $10 if you obtain a certified copy from the town or city clerk who issued the license. If applying to the New York State Department of Health, the fee is $30. For a certified copy, write to:

New York State Department of Health Bureau of Vital Records Certification Unit P.O. Box 2602 Albany, New York 12220-2602;

Does NYS recognize online ordained ministers?

When Church of Ancient Ways was granted full church status in 1997, we wrote our bylaws to mirror New York State Law, to ensure that my people would always be in compliance. In 2006, the City of New York decided to forgo the congregational requirement that still stands in the rest of New York State. So they do register online officiants and it is legal for those officiants to perform ceremonies that take place only within the limits of City of New York. Officiants registered with NYC prior to 2006 had their credentials checked using New York State Law and can marry people anywhere in New York State.

Nassau and Suffolk do not require registration and do not check credentials when processing a license. Honestly, you could fill it out at the kitchen table yourselves, using the names of your favorite TV characters, and Town Hall would still process it. Unfortunately having a Certificate of Marriage from the state, doesnt mean that you are legally married. How on earth can this be? I for one have no idea. But this is the reality of the current situation.

The problem would be if one of you wanted no longer to be married, and to disenfranchise the other by having the marriage declared invalid because the officiant did not meet the states requirements. In the precedent setting cases where this has happened, Ravenal v. Ravenal and Raniere v. Raniere, the marriages were declared null and void. That equated to no equitable distribution of assets…So if you are unsure about being married, having a friend ordained online might be even better than a prenuptial agreement. Or at least for one of you.

Can non-US citizens get married in New York?

• You absolutely dont need to live in the United States or be a New York resident to be married in NYC. You dont need to be a US citizen to be wed in New York either.
• The first thing you need to do isobtain your marriage license. To that end, you begin by making an appointment with the City Clerk office by going to this page:City Clerks officeWe recommend that you visit the appointment website about 3 weeks prior to your wedding date, and you make an appointment for at least a day before your wedding.
• After you secured your appointment (to see the City Clerk officer in person) you can fill out your application for a marriage license, this will speed up the process greatly. At the end of your application you will receive a confirmation number which indicates that your information was submitted and it is now in our governments data base.
• Next, both you and yourspouse to bemust go TOGETHER to theCity clerks officeto pick up your license.
• Virtual appointments are no longer an option. You will visit the office in person at the date and time of your appointment.
• New in-person appointments become available HERE: clerkscheduler.cityofnewyork.us/s/MarriageLicense
• During your interview, you must both show a form of Id (passport, drivers license, state id, etc) during your interview. You should also bring a copy of your divorce papers, if you were married before.
• After you obtained yourmarriage licenseyou will need to wait 24 hours to have your ceremony. This means: You can NOT have your wedding ceremony the same day that you obtained your license.
• Of course you dont need to get married immediately after you obtained your license. Your license is good for 60 days. After you have your license in your hands you can get married within 60 days.
• On the day of your wedding, you will bring us your marriage license, and the officiant, the witness (you only need one witness), and the couple will sign it.
• We will take care of the filling and you will receive yourWedding Certificatein the mail within 3 weeks.
• If you are in a hurry and you dont want to wait 3 weeks to receive your Marriage Certificate, you may go back to theCity Clerks officewith your signed license in hand and obtain your wedding certificate right there on the spot. Please read HERE.

Super easy! When you are ready to get married, and if you want to speed up the process, simply go online to this address:www1.nyc.gov/cityclerkformsonline/formslist.htm?recordType=CANCELfill out the application for a “marriage license”. After this is filled out, you will go to the City Clerks office to pick up your license. Filling out the paperwork online will expedite this process & you can obtain your license in 10 minutes.

The fee for a Marriage License is $35 by credit card or money order payable to the City Clerk. A New York State Marriage License is valid for 60 days. Meaning we must conduct your ceremony within 60 days of your obtaining your license. A Marriage License issued in New York can be used anywhere within New York State.

Can foreigners get married in New York?

• You absolutely dont need to live in the United States or be a New York resident to be married in NYC. You dont need to be a US citizen to be wed in New York either.
• The first thing you need to do isobtain your marriage license. To that end, you begin by making an appointment with the City Clerk office by going to this page:City Clerks officeWe recommend that you visit the appointment website about 3 weeks prior to your wedding date, and you make an appointment for at least a day before your wedding.
• After you secured your appointment (to see the City Clerk officer in person) you can fill out your application for a marriage license, this will speed up the process greatly. At the end of your application you will receive a confirmation number which indicates that your information was submitted and it is now in our governments data base.
• Next, both you and yourspouse to bemust go TOGETHER to theCity clerks officeto pick up your license.
• Virtual appointments are no longer an option. You will visit the office in person at the date and time of your appointment.
• New in-person appointments become available HERE: clerkscheduler.cityofnewyork.us/s/MarriageLicense
• During your interview, you must both show a form of Id (passport, drivers license, state id, etc) during your interview. You should also bring a copy of your divorce papers, if you were married before.
• After you obtained yourmarriage licenseyou will need to wait 24 hours to have your ceremony. This means: You can NOT have your wedding ceremony the same day that you obtained your license.
• Of course you dont need to get married immediately after you obtained your license. Your license is good for 60 days. After you have your license in your hands you can get married within 60 days.
• On the day of your wedding, you will bring us your marriage license, and the officiant, the witness (you only need one witness), and the couple will sign it.
• We will take care of the filling and you will receive yourWedding Certificatein the mail within 3 weeks.
• If you are in a hurry and you dont want to wait 3 weeks to receive your Marriage Certificate, you may go back to theCity Clerks officewith your signed license in hand and obtain your wedding certificate right there on the spot. Please read HERE.

Super easy! When you are ready to get married, and if you want to speed up the process, simply go online to this address:www1.nyc.gov/cityclerkformsonline/formslist.htm?recordType=CANCELfill out the application for a “marriage license”. After this is filled out, you will go to the City Clerks office to pick up your license. Filling out the paperwork online will expedite this process & you can obtain your license in 10 minutes.

The fee for a Marriage License is $35 by credit card or money order payable to the City Clerk. A New York State Marriage License is valid for 60 days. Meaning we must conduct your ceremony within 60 days of your obtaining your license. A Marriage License issued in New York can be used anywhere within New York State.

Can a non-US citizen officiate a wedding?

Can I officiate weddings in the U.S.? Yes, with the exception of the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada currently has minister registration laws that make it prohibitive for non-us citizens to officiate wedding ceremonies in the state.

Yes, with the exception of the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada currently has minister registration laws that make it prohibitive for non-us citizens to officiate wedding ceremonies in the state. That being said, you can conduct the wedding ceremony in Nevada so long as an authorized person signs the marriage license.

In the other 49 states and US territories you do not need to be a US citizen to officiate wedding ceremonies. Most religious institutions predate the founding of the American Republic and the US Constitution was set up to respect the rights of all religious officials regardless of nationality.

Consider the Catholic church for instance. Many Catholic Priests, Bishops, and so on are not US citizens however they regularly conduct marriage rites.

Who can be a witness at a wedding NYC?

You and your prospective spouse must have at least one witness, who must be 18 years of age or over. The witness or witnesses must bring proper identification. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, we currently only allow one witness.

How do I become a wedding officiant in USA?

General Requirements for Becoming a Wedding Officiant In most cases, you need to be an ordained or invested member of a religious group where you already perform weddings, or you need to be a public official, such as a judge. A state license may be required.

How much does it cost to become an officiant in NYC?

A $25 Fill out this application for the One-Day Marriage Officiant License from the Marriage License Bureau at the Manhattan Office of the City Clerk. Make sure its notarized if you submit it by mail! If you submit the application in person, you do not need it notarized. It requires a $25 fee.

Beginning this month, New York state has made it possible for anyone 18 years or older to perform a marriage ceremony with a new type of officiant license good for only one day —and you don’t even have to be a state resident to get it.

THE CITY spoke with a soon-to-be-wed New Yorker going through the process and to the City Clerk’s office, and collected as much publicly available information on the license as is available. We will update this guide with more information as needed.

Before you can preside over an exchange of rings, here’s what you need to know about officiating a wedding in New York:

Can anyone officiate a wedding in New York?

A One-Day Marriage Officiant has the authority to solemnize a marriage anywhere in New York State. However, in order to solemnize a Marriage Ceremony using a Marriage License issued in New York City, the One-Day Marriage Officiant must apply to the Manhattan Office of the City Clerk.

How do I become a legal officiant in NY?

Marriage Officiant RegistrationVisit the City Clerk Online.Submit a Marriage Officiant Registration Application.Print your application.Get your signature notarized.Gather the rest of your application package, which includes: Your confirmation number. The $15 registration fee. … Mail everything to:

You must register with the Office of the City Clerk to perform a marriage ceremony in New York City. You can start the process online and complete it by mail.

1. Visit theCity Clerk Online.2. Submit a Marriage Officiant Registration Application.3. Print your application.4. Get your signature notarized.5. Gather the rest of your application package, which includes:

• Your confirmation number
• The $15 registration fee. You can pay with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit or debit card. You can also pay with a money order made out to the Office of the City Clerk.
• Proper identification
• Any additional required documentation

How do you become a wedding officiant in New York?

Marriage Officiant RegistrationVisit the City Clerk Online.Submit a Marriage Officiant Registration Application.Print your application.Get your signature notarized.Gather the rest of your application package, which includes: Your confirmation number. The $15 registration fee. … Mail everything to:

You must register with the Office of the City Clerk to perform a marriage ceremony in New York City. You can start the process online and complete it by mail.

1. Visit theCity Clerk Online.2. Submit a Marriage Officiant Registration Application.3. Print your application.4. Get your signature notarized.5. Gather the rest of your application package, which includes:

• Your confirmation number
• The $15 registration fee. You can pay with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit or debit card. You can also pay with a money order made out to the Office of the City Clerk.
• Proper identification
• Any additional required documentation

Who can be a witness in NY?

Every person is competent to be a witness unless the court determines that the person does not have the capacity to warrant the reception of the persons evidence.