How to Get Married in NYC: License, Ceremony, and Name Change

To get married in NYC, both partners apply together for a marriage license through the Office of the City Clerk’s online portal, Project Cupid, pay a $35 license fee, wait a mandatory 24 hours, then hold a ceremony anywhere in New York State within 60 days with an authorized officiant and at least one witness. The officiant returns the signed license to the City Clerk, and your marriage becomes part of the public record.

Here is what each step actually involves.

Who Can Apply

Both partners must be at least 18. New York banned marriage for anyone under 18 with no exceptions, and a clerk who knowingly issues a license to a minor commits a misdemeanor.¹

Both partners must be free to marry. If you were married before, that marriage must have ended by divorce, annulment, or the death of your former spouse.² Bring the full name of each prior spouse, the date the divorce was finalized, and the city, state, and country where it was granted. If a former spouse died, bring their full name and date of death.

Certain family relationships bar marriage regardless of whether they are by blood or adoption: ancestor and descendant, siblings including half-siblings, and an uncle or aunt with a niece or nephew. A marriage in any of those categories is void.³

New York law states that a marriage license cannot be denied because the couple is of the same or different sex.⁴

The License Application

Everything runs through Project Cupid at nyc.gov/cupid. You start the application online, receive a confirmation number, and then schedule your appointment. Appointments can be in person at a City Clerk office or virtual.²

Both partners must appear at the appointment together. New York does not allow proxy marriages, so no one else can apply for you. After a virtual appointment, you download the license digitally from your Cupid account. After an in-person appointment, you take the physical license with you.

The license itself is a sworn affidavit, so every detail has to match your ID exactly. You will need:

A valid photo ID: U.S. driver’s license, state non-driver ID, passport, U.S. military ID, permanent resident card, or IDNYC card.
Full legal name, current address, country of birth, and Social Security number for each partner.
Full names and countries of birth for both sets of parents.
Details of any prior marriages, including how and where each one ended.

If you were born outside the United States, a passport handles identity and citizenship in one document.²

The license costs $35, paid by credit card or money order to the City Clerk. The fee is nonrefundable.⁵

The 24-Hour Wait and 60-Day Window

Once your license is issued, you cannot marry for 24 hours. That is state law, not a City Clerk policy, and it is the single rule that catches couples hoping to license and marry on the same day.⁶

The wait can be waived only by a judge. A Supreme Court justice, county judge, or family court judge in the county where either partner lives can issue a waiver in an emergency such as imminent danger of death, irreparable harm, or a compelling public interest.⁶ Outside those situations, plan on at least two days.

The license then expires 60 days after it is issued.⁶ Miss that window and the license is dead. There is no extension. You reapply and pay the $35 fee again.

Choosing Your Ceremony

You have two paths: a civil ceremony at a City Clerk office, or a private ceremony anywhere in New York State.

City Clerk Ceremony

Book a ceremony slot through Project Cupid at a City Clerk office. The fee is $25 by credit card or money order.⁷ These are brief civil ceremonies. Appointments only. No walk-ins. Bring someone who can serve as your witness.

Private Ceremony

For a ceremony at a venue, house of worship, or any other spot in the state, you need an authorized officiant. New York limits that to specific categories:⁸

Ordained clergy, including leaders of Ethical Culture societies.
Judges, from federal judges sitting in New York districts to state court justices, retired judges, and NYC Civil Court housing judges.
Government officials such as the current or former governor, mayors, county executives, and state legislators.
The NYC City Clerk, their deputies, and up to four designated regular clerks.
One-day marriage officiants registered with the City Clerk for a specific ceremony.

If the ceremony will take place inside NYC, the officiant must register with the Office of the City Clerk in advance. Registration is an online application with a notarized signature and a $15 fee.⁹ Clergy should not assume ordination alone is enough.

Having a Friend or Family Member Officiate

The one-day marriage officiant license is a popular option. Any adult can apply, no matter where they live. It costs $25 and covers one specific couple’s ceremony.¹⁰ There is a sequencing catch: the couple must get their marriage license first, because the officiant application requires each partner’s name exactly as it appears on the license.

Witness

At least one witness beyond the officiant must be present and sign the marriage license.¹¹

After the Ceremony

The officiant is legally responsible for returning the signed license to the issuing City Clerk office within five days.¹² That obligation sits with the officiant, not the couple, but follow up. A signed license left in a drawer creates no record of the marriage. A one-day officiant returns both the signed license and their one-day license together.¹⁰

Once the City Clerk records the license, your marriage is officially on file, and you will receive a Certificate of Marriage Registration by mail. Processing usually takes several weeks.

You will want certified copies for everything from Social Security to insurance. A certified copy for domestic use is $15 for the first and $10 for each additional. A copy prepared for use in a foreign country, with a hand signature and raised seal, is $35 for the first and $30 for each additional.¹³ Order through Project Cupid or by mail.

Changing Your Name

Marriage does not automatically change your name at any agency. Each one requires a separate update, and there is a specific order that avoids mismatches: Social Security first, then the DMV, then your passport, banks, and employer.

To update your Social Security card, complete Form SS-5 and bring or mail it to your local SSA office along with your marriage certificate and a current photo ID.¹⁴ The SSA only accepts originals or certified copies. A new card usually arrives in 10 to 14 business days, and the SSA notifies the IRS automatically.

One detail worth catching before you file: the new surname you want must be written on the marriage license application itself. If you finish the process and later decide on a different surname, the City Clerk cannot amend the record. You would have to remarry your spouse under a new application.¹⁵

1
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 15-A – Marriages of Minors Under Eighteen Years of Age
2
Office of the City Clerk. Marriage License
3
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 5 – Incestuous and Void Marriages
4
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 13 – Marriage Licenses
5
Office of the City Clerk. Fees – City Clerk
6
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 13-B – Time Within Which Marriage May Be Solemnized
7
Office of the City Clerk. Marriage Ceremony
8
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 11 – By Whom a Marriage Must Be Solemnized
9
NYC311. Marriage Officiant Registration
10
Office of the City Clerk. One-Day Marriage Officiant License
11
New York Public Law. New York Domestic Relations Law Section 12 – Marriage, How Solemnized
12
New York State Department of Health. Responsibilities of the Officiant Performing the Ceremony
13
Office of the City Clerk. Marriage Records
14
Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card
15
Office of the City Clerk. Amendments to Marriage Records