Yes, you can marry your first cousin in Massachusetts. The state’s marriage statute, Chapter 207 of the Massachusetts General Laws, lists every family relationship that bars two people from marrying, and first cousins are not on that list. No genetic counseling requirement, no age restriction, no fertility condition. You apply for a license the same way any other couple does.
Why Cousin Marriage Is Legal Here
Section 1 of Chapter 207 names the female relatives a man cannot marry: mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, stepmother, grandfather’s wife, grandson’s wife, wife’s mother, wife’s grandmother, wife’s daughter, wife’s granddaughter, niece, and aunt.1General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Chapter 207 Section 1 – Marriage of Man to Certain Relatives Prohibited Section 2 contains the mirror list for women. The prohibitions cover direct ancestors and descendants, siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and certain in-laws and step-relatives.
Cousins of any degree are missing from both lists. The legislature drew the line at aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, and first cousins sit one step further out on the family tree. The state’s own annulment guide confirms the point by listing the prohibited relatives without any mention of cousins.2Mass.gov. Find Out If You’re Eligible to Get an Annulment
Massachusetts is also one of the states that places no special conditions on cousin marriages. Some states that permit them attach strings: Maine requires proof of genetic counseling, and Rhode Island limits the right to couples past childbearing age or unable to have children. Massachusetts asks for none of that.
Getting the Marriage License
Both of you have to appear in person at any city or town clerk’s office in Massachusetts. It does not have to be the town where you live or where the ceremony will happen.3Mass.gov. Getting Married in Massachusetts: Before the Wedding
At the clerk’s office you will fill out a Notice of Intention of Marriage. Bring proof of age (a birth certificate or passport), your Social Security number, the fee (which varies by town), and the name you plan to use after the wedding if you are changing it.
There is a three-day waiting period between filing the notice and picking up the license.3Mass.gov. Getting Married in Massachusetts: Before the Wedding If you need to skip it, file a Marriage Without Delay petition at the probate or district court in the town where you filed the notice.4Mass.gov. Instructions: Marriage Without Delay Court Form Once issued, the license is valid for 60 days. Miss that window and you start over.
If You Move to Another State
A first-cousin marriage performed in Massachusetts is valid here, but not every state allows cousin marriage, and a few will not recognize one performed elsewhere. If you relocate, the law of the new state controls whether your marriage is valid there. Most states recognize marriages that were valid where they were performed, but exceptions exist, so it is worth checking before you move.
The reverse situation is simpler. If you marry a first cousin in another state and then move to Massachusetts, the marriage is recognized here without any issue, because the relationship is not prohibited under Massachusetts law in the first place.