Marriage Licenses

Application for Copy of Marriage Licenses

Download the Marriage Worksheet

A couple who intends to be married in New York State must apply in person for a marriage license to any Town or City Clerk within New York State. You need not apply only in the municipality in which you reside. The application for a license must be signed by both partners in the presence of the Clerk. There are no blood tests required. If both parties are 18 years of age or older, no written parental or judicial consent is required.

The marriage license is issued immediately; however, it is not valid for a period of 24 hours after the issuance of the license. It will remain valid for 60 days thereafter. There is a fee of $40.00 for a marriage license. Fees are payable by cash, check, money order, Master Card or Visa.

We request that you schedule an appointment with the Town Clerk to fulfill the requirements of obtaining a Marriage License.

Each applicant is required to establish proof of age and identity by submitting one of the following age-related documents and one of the following identity-related documents.

Age-related documents:

• Birth Certificate

• Baptismal record

• Naturalization record

• Census record

Identity-related documents:

• Driver’s license

• State-issued non-driver photo-ID card

• Passport

• U.S. Military issued photo-ID

• Employment photo ID

• Immigration record

Second or Subsequent Marriages 

If either or both members of a couple are applying for a marriage license for a second or subsequent marriage, certified information regarding the previous marriage(s) must be furnished at the time of application. This includes proof of dissolution of the prior marriage(s) by either divorce decrees or death certificates.

Important Notes: 

• All documents must be understandable by the Clerk; that is, written in English. If the document is not written in English, it must be translated by a certified translator.

• Each document must be current and either the original or a certified copy with a raised seal.

Surname Options

Every person has the right to adopt any name by which he or she wishes to be known simply by using that name consistently and without intent to defraud. A person’s surname does not automatically change upon marriage, and neither party to the marriage is required to change his or her last name.

One or both parties to a marriage may elect to change the surname by which he or she wishes to be known after the marriage by entering the new name in the appropriate space provided on the marriage worksheet. The new name must consist of one of the following options:

• the surname of the other spouse;

• any former surname of either spouse;

• a name combining into a single surname all or a segment of the pre-marriage surname or any former surname of each spouse;

• a combination name separated by a hyphen, provided that each part of such combination surname is the pre-marriage surname, or any former surname, of each of the spouses.

The use of this option will provide a record of your change of name. The marriage certificate, containing the new name, if any, is proof that the use of the new name, or the retention of the former name, is lawful. The local Social Security Administration office should be contacted so that its records and your social security identification card reflect the name change. There is no charge for this service.

Whether you decide to use or not use this option at the time of your marriage license application, you still have the right to adopt a different name through usage at some future date. However, your marriage license cannot be changed to record a surname you decide to use after your marriage.

Who Can Perform a Marriage Ceremony In the Town of Essex? 

To be valid, a marriage ceremony must be performed by any of the individuals specified in Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law. These include:

• Town Justice;

• a justice or judge of most courts in New York State;

• a member of the clergy or minister who has been officially ordained and granted authority to perform marriage ceremonies;

• a member of the clergy or minister who is not authorized by a governing church body but who has been chosen by a spiritual group to preside over their spiritual affairs;

• other officiants as specified by Section 11 of the Domestic Relations Law.