New York Marriage Records

New York State began keeping marriage records in 1881, while New York City started compiling records relating to marriages in 1950. Marriage rates in the state are slightly higher than the national average. New York state has a marriage rate of 6.3 marriages per 1,000 residents, a 1.5% increase above the U.S. average of 6.2 per 1,000 people.

Marriage records are the official documents that record the legal union of two individuals. New York marriage records comprise marriage licenses and marriage certificates.

• Marriage Licenses: A marriage license issued to a couple before their wedding ceremony authorizes them to get married. It is the pre-ceremony legal documents a couple applies for permitting them to conduct a wedding ceremony within a specified period. Information typically contained on a marriage license includes the full names of both parties, birth dates, current addresses, city and state of birth, marital status, license number, date and location of the license, and the validity period.
• Marriage Certificates: A marriage certificate is a post-ceremony document that officially records a legal marriage. After the marriage ceremony, the marriage license is returned with the appropriate signatures from the officiant, and a marriage certificate is issued. Marriage certificates contain the full legal names of the bride and groom, birth dates, the date of marriage, place of marriage, officiant details, witness names, certificate number, filing date, parental information, and official signature and seal.

How To Look Up Marriage Records in New York?

Marriage records in New York are accessible at the following levels:

• The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Division of Vital Records, issues certified copies of marriage certificates from 1881 to date for marriages performed outside New York City.
• The town or city clerk offices where the marriage license was purchased.
• The New York City Clerk's Office is responsible for maintaining and providing certified copies of marriage records conducted within the city from 1950 to the present
• Marriage records between 1866 and 1949 for New York City marriages are available at the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS).

Persons interested in obtaining marriage records that occurred within New York State but outside New York City may contact the specific town or county clerk's office where the license was obtained. Alternatively, you may complete the Application for Copy of Marriage Certificate form and mail the form to:

Likewise, persons interested in marriage records issued within New York City between 1790 - 1949 may complete the Vital Records Webform to order the record. For marriages after 1949 within New York City, record seekers may complete the Marriage Records section of the Application for Certified Copy of Vital Records form. You may also access marriage records in person at the specific New York City Clerk's Office that issued the license.

All applications for marriage records throughout New York State require requesters to provide the following:

• The full name of the bride and groom
• The place of marriage
• The date of marriage
• Certificate or license number
• A notarized statement signed by the couple, if delivery is to a PO Box or third party
• A valid photo ID

Are Marriage Records Public in New York?

Marriage records in New York are public records once a certain period has elapsed. Specifically, New York State law exempts marriage records from public disclosures but makes them available to the public once they are older than 50 years. However, more recent marriage records under 50 years are treated as confidential. Access to these records is restricted to authorized individuals with a direct and tangible interest in the record, including spouses, immediate family members, legal representatives, or persons holding a New York State court order.

How Much Do New York Marriage Records Cost?

The fees requesters pay to order a New York marriage record depend on where you apply: New York City, New York State, or county offices across New York State. Marriage records ordered from New York City cost $18 if the certificate number is provided and $25 without the record number. An additional expedited fee of $10 may apply to get the record faster.

It costs $30 to order a certified copy of a New York State marriage record from the NYSDOH. The office charges an additional $15 for expedited processing of marriage records. The cost to access certified copies of marriage records from the county clerks offices across New York State, outside New York City, varies. The average fee to access the record is around $30 per certified copy. However, there are additional fees to cover local administrative costs and processing methods.

Record requests processed at the city and town clerk's office and at the New York City clerk's offices are processed within 2 - 4 weeks, while records processed at the NYSDOH take longer, typically over a month. All walk-in requests are treated on the same day.

Is It Possible to Make Your Marriage Records Confidential in New York?

No. New York does not permit residents to make their marriage records confidential. The state does not offer confidential marriage licenses or any legal mechanism to seal marriage records. Unlike states that provide an option for confidential marriages, once a marriage record is created in New York, it remains a public record, with access restrictions on recent records limited to eligible parties. There is no provision to seal or restrict public access to the record.

How Do I Verify the Authenticity of New York Marriage Records?

Verifying the authenticity of your New York marriage record serves different reasons. Generally, you may need to confirm your marriage record for travel or immigration purposes, to apply for joint tax benefits, to secure spousal coverage under insurance policies, or to establish a legal claim to an estate for inheritance purposes.

Therefore, certified copies of marriage records in New York have official security features, including a unique license number, date of issue, filing information, and an embossed or raised seal from the city or county clerk's office. Likewise, authenticated marriage records are printed on government-issued security-enhanced paper, which may include watermarks and microprinting features to deter forgery.

You may verify the authenticity of your marriage record in New York by contacting the local city or town office clerk's office where the marriage license was originally issued. Also, many counties maintain copies of marriage records in their municipal archives, where you can obtain certified copies of marriage records. Similarly, you may obtain certified copies of marriage records at the NYSDOH.

Can I Find New York Marriage Records Online for Free?

Marriage records within the last 50 years are generally not accessible for free online. However, you may access older marriage records for free online through the New York City Municipal Archives. Accessing New York marriage records for free online is possible through several non-governmental sources, especially for historical records. Some of these resources include:

• FamilySearch.org: The platform offers a vast collection of genealogical records, including New York marriage records. Users may access these records without cost, making them a valuable resource for tracing family histories.
• PublicRecords.us: The web tool offers free access to basic information on public records, including marriage records from New York.

What Is Required to Get a New York Marriage License?

Persons obtaining a marriage license in New York must meet the following requirements:

• Both parties must be 18 years or older
• Both parties must present proof of age
• A certified copy of the Divorce Decree if either party has been married previously
• A valid government-issued photo ID
• Pay the fees. It is usually about $35 in New York City and $40 in counties outside NYC

There is a mandatory waiting period of 24 hours before the license becomes valid for your marriage ceremony. Once issued, the marriage license is valid for 60 days. This implies that you must have your wedding ceremony within the stipulated period. Otherwise, you will need to reapply.

Can You Amend Marriage Records in New York?

Yes. New York does allow amendment to marriage records, but only for specific types of errors. In New York, you may request an amendment on a marriage license if there are clerical errors such as misspellings or typographical errors, incorrect date or time, and wrong or incomplete address information. Similarly, New York permits amendment to a marriage certificate for mistakes that are generally clerical, including typographical name corrections, correcting errors in the recorded date of the ceremony or location, and correcting errors in the officiant or witness details.

Amending New York Marriage License

Clerical errors noticed on a New York marriage license before the wedding may be corrected. The process starts by contacting the issuing office since marriage licenses are handled at the county level. You may contact the clerk's office where the license was issued. Many counties require you to fill out an amendment or correction form. You may also provide evidence showing the correct information, typically a government-issued photo ID. Pay the applicable fee. The fees vary by county. In New York City, it costs $35 to amend a marriage license.

Amending New York Marriage Certificate

For marriages outside New York City, the NYSDOH Division of Vital Records permits amending clerical errors on your marriage certificate. To correct the error, complete the Affidavit for Correction of Marriage Record form and provide original supporting documents to support the amendment request. Correcting the error is free. However, obtaining a certified copy of the corrected records costs $10 for the first copy and $30 for each additional copy.

Marriage certificates issued within New York City may be amended by completing and notarizing the Application for the Correction of a Marriage Record form. Include documents supporting the correction request. The fee to amend the record is $10. Mail the application form to the city clerk's office.