You can apply for a marriage license (a license that gives you the authority to marry) at the municipality in which one spouse lives. So, if one lives in Maplewood and the other in Rahway, they can apply in Maplewood or Rahway with the municipality’s Registrar.
If neither are residents of New Jersey, they will apply in the municipality they are getting married in. Take Note Those Who Are Applying! You should schedule additional time to finish the application process. New Jersey has a 72-hour hold between completing the application and being issued a license to marry. Factor this in alongside the registrar potentially having limited hours or being by appointment only, as not all registrars are full-time employees.
Once you choose a municipality to get married in, based on the address of either spouse or a location if you are from out of State, you will check whether or not the Registrar requires appointments to come in, and if they require you to do an online application. If you have questions, the registrar is usually within either the Clerk’s Office or the Health Department.
Both spouses are required to bring a State or Federally-issued photo ID, and a witness who is required to be over 18. If you don’t have someone who could be a witness, a member of the municipality’s staff might be willing to sign as a witness. However, they are not required to be, so you may want to call ahead to see if this could be an option. Note: If residents of New Jersey, at least one person getting married has to have their ID say they live in the municipality they are applying in.
Each town has a similar but specific application based on who the registrar is. Some have it done on paper, others online. You aren’t required to do it online, but it is usually preferred as it leads to fewer mistakes which take months to be amended.
After July 1 st , 2023, the cost for the application is $28.00. For the State fiscal year 2022 to 2023, it was free, but the State government decided not to waive fees again.
You must wait exactly 72 hours before issuing a license (business hours and holidays don’t matter).
After the 72 hours have passed, you can request your marriage license – don’t expect the registrar to remind you that it is ready.
Once you have your ceremony date, you can request a marriage license to be issued. The issuing Registrar will give you four copies of your marriage license, in which they’ll only fill out the bottom part.
Either spouse or a representative can pick up the license.
In some towns, they offer the ability to get married by a judge. This isn’t universally offered, and the registrar is not obligated to tell you where to find or recommend an officiant. However, mayors/ deputy mayors, the heads of any religious institution, judges, or a county clerk can act as an officiant. Also, as you see in the movies, you can get married to someone who is an internet minister. Just know legal authority is immensely important, and it is on those getting married to research someone’s credentials.
Your marriage application is held for six months automatically, and a couple can request an additional six-month hold before they are required to reapply all over again.
Once picked up, your marriage license is valid for only 30 calendar days. After day 30, it expires, and you have to start the whole process again.
One copy the officiant keeps, one copy the newly married couple keeps, and two copies are given to the Registrar of the municipality you get married in. The Municipality will keep one copy and send the last copy to the State.
Note: If your license is issued in Newark, and you get married in Union, the Registrar in Union would not only get your marriage license that was filled and signed by the officiant, including the signature of two witnesses, but they will also issue your certified marriage certificate. Not Newark.
Note: Your marriage application, marriage license, and marriage certificate are three different things. You DO NOT automatically get your marriage certificate after handing in your marriage license, and if it is mailed or interofficed, the Registrar won’t notify you once it is received. You will have to request a marriage certificate.
Domestic partnerships are not licensed, have no gender requirements, and are only available for those 62 or older. You also wouldn’t use the Marriage application. What you would present is an affidavit of domestic partnership that notes the name, ages, and mailing addresses of both parties, alongside a statement that, at the time the affidavit is signed, both parties meet the requirements of the Act and wish to enter into a domestic partnership with each other. In order to file such an affidavit, neither person can have been a partner in a domestic partnership that was terminated less than 180 days prior to the filing of the current Affidavit of Domestic Partnership, except that this prohibition does not apply if one of the partners died.
You would have that done by the Social Security Administration. Information on the process can be found here.
You would need to request those records either from the county you divorced in or from the State.
You can click here to begin the process to get a copy of court records from the State.
If you have questions, the contact number for the Superior Court Clerk is 609-421-6100.