To get a Middlesex County marriage license, both you and your partner apply in person at the Registrar of Vital Statistics in a local municipality, pay a $28 fee, and wait 72 hours before the license is issued. Middlesex County has no central marriage license office. You file where one of you lives, or, if neither of you is a New Jersey resident, in the town where the ceremony will happen.
Where to Apply
Middlesex County contains more than two dozen municipalities, including New Brunswick, Edison, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, South Brunswick, and Old Bridge. Each has its own Registrar of Vital Statistics, usually housed in the municipal health department or clerk’s office.
If at least one of you is a New Jersey resident, apply in the municipality where that person lives. The license issued there is good for a ceremony anywhere in New Jersey. If neither of you lives in the state, you apply in the municipality where the ceremony will take place, and that license is only valid in that municipality.1New Jersey Department of Health. Marriage Licenses
Call the registrar’s office before you go. Payment methods, office hours, and appointment requirements vary by town, and some offices book up in spring and summer.
Who Can Apply
Both applicants must be at least 18. New Jersey prohibits issuing a marriage license to anyone under 18, with no exceptions for parental consent or a judge’s approval.2Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-6 – Prohibition of Issuance of Marriage, Civil Union License to Minor Neither of you can currently be married or in a civil union or domestic partnership with someone else.1New Jersey Department of Health. Marriage Licenses
If either of you was married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or death certificate that ended the previous marriage. The registrar will ask for the date it ended.
What to Bring
Both applicants have to appear together, in person. Come prepared with:
- A valid photo ID for each of you: driver’s license, passport, or state or federal ID card.
- Proof of New Jersey residency for the applicant who lives in the state. A driver’s license showing your current address works; otherwise bring a recent utility bill or similar document.
- Your Social Security numbers. The statute requires them, and the numbers are kept confidential except for child support enforcement purposes.3Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-17 – Marriage or Civil Union License Information Provided
- Each parent’s full name at birth and birthplace. The state’s Reg-77 application form asks for this information for both sets of parents.4New Jersey Department of Health. Application for License Marriage Remarriage Civil Union Reaffirmation of Civil Union
- One witness, at least 18 years old, who comes with you to the appointment and brings valid photo ID.1New Jersey Department of Health. Marriage Licenses
- The $28 fee. The amount is the same in every New Jersey municipality. Cash and money orders payable to the local health department are generally accepted; check with your municipality for other options.5Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-12.1 – Fee for Marriage or Civil Union License
At the appointment, both of you will swear under oath that your answers on the application are true and that no legal barrier to the marriage exists. Knowingly giving false answers is perjury under New Jersey law.6Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-8 – Testimony Under Oath by Applicants as to Legality of Proposed Marriage or Civil Union Witnesses Perjury
The 72-Hour Wait and How Long the License Lasts
Once you file your application, the registrar cannot issue the license for 72 hours.7Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-4 – Issuance of Marriage or Civil Union License Apply Monday morning and the earliest pickup is Thursday morning. Build in office hours and weekends when you plan the wedding date.
In an emergency, the Superior Court can waive all or part of the 72 hours by court order, which gets filed with the registrar and attached to your application.7Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-4 – Issuance of Marriage or Civil Union License You’d need to show the court a genuine reason the wait isn’t workable.
Two separate timelines matter after that. Your application stays valid for six months from the date the registrar accepts it, and the registrar can sometimes extend that to a year with prior approval. Once the license itself is issued, you have 30 days to hold the ceremony.1New Jersey Department of Health. Marriage Licenses Miss the 30-day window and the license expires; you’d have to start over.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
New Jersey authorizes a broad range of officiants: current and retired judges in good standing (federal, Superior Court, Tax Court, municipal, and administrative law judges); mayors, deputy mayors with the mayor’s authorization, former mayors not currently on the governing body, township committee chairs, village presidents, county clerks, and county surrogates; any member of the clergy of any religion; civil celebrants certified by the Secretary of State; and religious societies, institutions, or organizations acting under their own rules.8Justia. New Jersey Code 37-1-13 – Authorization to Solemnize Marriages and Civil Unions
If a friend or family member will officiate, they need to fit one of these categories. Online ordinations through a religious organization are a common route, but whether a specific ordination qualifies can depend on the circumstances. Confirm with the registrar before the ceremony.
After the Ceremony
On the wedding day, the officiant and two witnesses who are at least 18 sign the license. The officiant then returns the completed document to the registrar in the municipality where the ceremony took place.
Once that filing happens, your marriage becomes part of New Jersey’s vital statistics records and you can request certified copies of the marriage certificate. The fee is $25 for the first copy and $2 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.9Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – New Jersey You’ll need these for insurance, name changes, and other post-wedding paperwork, so ordering several at once is usually the right call.