Bergen County Marriage License: Requirements, Wait, and Ceremony

To get a Bergen County marriage license, apply in person at the registrar’s office in the Bergen County municipality where at least one of you lives. The license costs $28, there is a 72-hour waiting period between filing the application and picking up the license, and the license is valid for 30 days once issued. Bergen County has 70 municipalities and each one handles its own licensing, usually through the local health department. The Bergen County Clerk performs civil ceremonies but does not issue licenses.¹

Where to Apply

If either of you lives in Bergen County, apply at the registrar in that town. Call first to confirm hours and whether you need an appointment, since most municipalities route marriage licenses through the health department.¹

If neither of you is a New Jersey resident, apply in the Bergen County municipality where the ceremony will take place. Residency changes where you can use the license later: a license issued to a couple with at least one New Jersey resident is valid anywhere in the state, but a license issued to two non-residents is only valid in the municipality that issued it.²

Who Can Apply

Both applicants must be at least 18 years old. New Jersey does not allow parental consent exceptions, and the state prohibits issuing a marriage license to anyone under 18.³

Neither of you can already be in a marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership that hasn’t been legally dissolved. If a previous marriage ended in divorce, you’ll need a certified copy of the final divorce decree. If a former spouse died, bring a certified death certificate.²

Certain close family relationships are barred. New Jersey law voids marriages between ancestors and descendants, siblings and half-siblings, and aunts or uncles and nieces or nephews.⁴

What to Bring to Your Appointment

Photo ID: a valid driver’s license, passport, or state or federal ID card.
Proof of residency, such as a utility bill, tax record, or lease showing your current address. Non-residents don’t need this but still need ID.
Your Social Security number. It’s required by law for U.S. citizens and kept confidential. The physical card helps but isn’t essential.
One witness, at least 18 years old, who comes with you to the registrar’s office.
Documentation of any prior marriage: a certified final divorce decree or the certified death certificate of a former spouse.
The $28 fee, non-refundable, due when you apply.

This checklist comes from the New Jersey Department of Health.⁵ The application is Form REG-77, available from the Department of Health or your local registrar. It asks for detailed information about both applicants’ parents, including birthplaces and maiden names. Fill it out as completely as you can before the appointment; missing information slows processing and may require a second visit.⁶

New Jersey does not require a blood test.⁷

The Appointment Itself

Both applicants and the witness must appear in person before the local registrar. You’ll swear under oath that the information in the application is true and that no legal barrier to the marriage exists. The witness confirms your ages and residences. The registrar can only issue the license after confirming there is no legal impediment.⁸

The 72-Hour Wait and the 30-Day Window

Once you file the application, the registrar cannot issue the actual license for at least 72 hours. The clock starts when the application is accepted, not when you come back. You pick up the license in person; it isn’t mailed.⁹

In a genuine emergency, such as a military deployment or a medical situation, the Superior Court can waive part or all of the 72-hour period by court order. The registrar’s office usually has the waiver form. You appear before a judge, explain the circumstances, and bring the signed form back to the registrar before the license can be released early.⁹

Once issued, the license is valid for exactly 30 days. If you don’t hold the ceremony inside that window, the license expires and you start over with a new application, new fee, and new waiting period.⁹

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

New Jersey authorizes a wide range of officiants: Superior Court and Tax Court judges, federal district court judges, municipal and administrative law judges, county surrogates, county clerks, current and former mayors (as long as a former mayor isn’t currently on the municipal governing body), deputy mayors authorized by the mayor, township committee chairs, village presidents, members of the clergy of any religion, and civil celebrants certified by the Secretary of State.¹⁰ The Bergen County Clerk’s office also performs civil ceremonies, which is separate from license issuance.¹

A marriage performed without a valid license or by an unauthorized person is void under New Jersey law. Both requirements are mandatory.¹¹

After the Ceremony

The officiant is responsible for returning the completed, signed license to the municipality where the ceremony physically took place. One copy goes to the local registrar and another to the State of New Jersey. Until that filing happens, your marriage is not recorded in state archives.

Once your marriage is recorded, you can order certified copies of the marriage certificate from the New Jersey Department of Health online, by mail, or by phone, or through local vital records offices. Certified copies carry a raised seal and are printed on state security paper. You’ll need them for name changes, insurance updates, and other administrative tasks, so ordering two or three at the outset is worth the cost.¹²

Already Married? Remarriage Licenses

Couples already legally married in New Jersey, another state, or another country can apply for a remarriage license to reaffirm their vows. The application and documents are the same as for a first marriage, with two differences: there’s no 72-hour waiting period, and you must bring a certified copy of your existing marriage certificate.² The $28 fee and the standard eligibility rules still apply.⁵

1
Bergen County Clerk. Ceremonies
2
New Jersey Department of Health. Marriage Licenses
3
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-6 – Prohibition of Issuance of Marriage, Civil Union License to Minor
4
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-1 – Marriages and Civil Unions, Limitations, Certain
5
New Jersey Department of Health. Entering Into a Marriage or Civil Union in New Jersey
6
New Jersey Department of Health. Application for License
7
New Jersey Legislature. Assembly No. 1982
8
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-8 – Testimony Under Oath by Applicants as to Legality of Proposed Marriage or Civil Union
9
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-4 – Issuance of Marriage or Civil Union License, Emergencies, Validity
10
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-13 – Authorization to Solemnize Marriages and Civil Unions
11
Justia. New Jersey Code 37:1-10 – Common Law and Other Marriages Without License, Validity
12
New Jersey Department of Health. Order a Vital Record