Living
Marriage Certificate & Registration
Whether you get married in New York or attend the weddings of friends and family, you will find that there is nothing quite like a ‘New York wedding’. They are often lavish affairs, sometimes with several hundred guests at a cost of well over $50,000. There is the ceremony itself, followed by a cocktail hour (where guests mingle while being served appetisers and alcoholic drinks), a formal dinner and dancing until late into the night to the tunes of a band, a disc jockey, or both. There is simply no end to the type of wedding you may have in New York City: people have their wedding receptions in hotel ballrooms, on the beach, in their homes, anywhere they wish. As with clothes and music, styles and tastes in weddings change with the times, and often couples hire a wedding planner to make sure their wedding is perfectly en vogue and that the day runs smoothly.
Paperwork
Getting married in New York City is a relatively simple procedure. Well, at least technically. In order for the marriage to be valid, the first thing you must do is obtain a marriage licence. Marriage licences are valid for 60 days, and the ceremony must be performed within this time period or you will have to apply for another one. Your licence will cost $35, which must be paid by money order. You can get a money order at any bank or one of the hundreds of cheque-cashing places in the city. (These are places where you can cash cheques without a bank account.)
The bride and groom must apply for the licence together, in person, at the Office of the City Clerk. There are City Clerk offices in each of New York City’s five boroughs. To find the addresses and business hours of these offices, call 212 669 2778.
When applying for your licence, you must prove that there is nothing that should prevent you from legally marrying. For example, you must provide any information about any previous marriages, and you may be asked to provide a divorce decree.
You will receive your marriage licence on the day you apply for it. However, you must wait at least 24 hours before the marriage ceremony is performed.
You must present the City Clerk with valid identification, which can include a driver’s licence, or a non-driver’s identification card, from the US or one of its territories (If you are using driving ‘learner’s permit’, it must be from New York State, an active US military card, a valid passport, your US certification of naturalization (it must have been issued within the last 10 years), your permanent resident (Green) card, with valid expiration, and your work permit, also with valid expiration.
Once you have obtained your marriage licence, the ceremony may be performed by any number of religious or civil individuals, according to your preferences and beliefs. This includes the mayor or former mayor of New York City, judges, priests and rabbis, as long as the person conducting the ceremony is registered with the City of New York. To check and see if the person you have chosen to marry you is registered, call the Office of the City Clerk at 212 669 2778. The cost of getting married by a religious official can be several hundred dollars or higher, depending on the house of worship and the particular person you ask to perform the ceremony.
You can choose to have a civil (non-religious) ceremony, performed by the City Clerk. Just go to an office in any one of the five boroughs during business hours and the clerk will marry you and provide you with your marriage certificate that day. All you will need is a $25 money order, at least one person over 18 to serve as a witness, and photo identification for the bride, groom, and witness.
If you have been married by someone other than the City Clerk, the person who performed the ceremony will fill out the certificate and mail it to the City Clerk’s office within five days a copy will later be mailed to your home.
A foreign country’s embassy or consulate, however, is considered a ‘foreign jurisdiction’. Therefore, if you want to send a copy of your marriage certificate you will have to send one with a raised seal and original signature. You may request one from the Office of the City Clerk in Manhattan: there is a $35 fee, payable by money order. If you are basing your residency upon your marriage, you should send a copy to US Immigration or your native country’s embassy.
If you are from another country and have married a US citizen, the good news is that your marriage is most likely valid anywhere in the world; the general rule is if the marriage is valid where the ceremony took place, it is valid everywhere.
Tax Implications
When you get married, your filing status changes for tax purposes. You must inform the IRS if your name or address changes. You must also choose whether you want to file a joint tax return with your spouse, or whether you want to file as ‘married filing separately’. If you have changed your last name you must also inform the Social Security Administration.
It is strongly advised that you consult an accountant regarding the best way to deal with your taxes.
Domestic Partnerships
New York City law has created a relationship category protecting certain rights for same-sex and other non-traditional couples. In order to be eligible for a domestic partnership, either both people must be New York City residents, or at least one of them must be employed by the City of New York. Both partners must be 18 years or older, and they must be otherwise eligible. For example, neither can be married and they must not be related by blood. The partners must show that they are in a close, committed relationship and that they live together. Finally, neither partner can be involved in another domestic partnership, or have been in one in the past six months.
Paperwork
Registering for a domestic partnership is a very simple procedure. The partners must file a Domestic Partnership Affidavit, signed by both and notarised, with the Office of the City Clerk. The fee is $36, payable only by money order. Both partners have to show valid identification, including a driver’s licence or a non-driver ID, an original birth certificate, a passport, an official school record, an immigration or employee authorisation card. The City Clerk will then issue a Certificate of Domestic Partnership.
While a domestic partnership does not confer the same legal status as a marriage, it does provide a few of the same benefits. Domestic partners who work for the City of New York can take bereavement leave or childcare leave. Domestic partners can visit each other in prison, and in hospitals that are run by the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation. And, as anyone who has braved the New York real estate market can appreciate, a domestic partner may be added to a lease for an apartment, as a family member, by the New York City Housing Authority. Domestic partners can also succeed to the tenancy if the other partner passes away. New York City employees can add their domestic partners to their healthcare policies. For a complete list of benefits, check with the City Clerk’s office.
Termination of a Domestic Partnership
Dissolving the domestic partnership is even easier than registering it: one party files a termination statement with the Clerk’s office. In addition, the partnership is automatically terminated if one of the partners marries.
Paperwork
Getting married in New York City is a relatively simple procedure. Well, at least technically. In order for the marriage to be valid, the first thing you must do is obtain a marriage licence. Marriage licences are valid for 60 days, and the ceremony must be performed within this time period or you will have to apply for another one. Your licence will cost $35, which must be paid by money order. You can get a money order at any bank or one of the hundreds of cheque-cashing places in the city. (These are places where you can cash cheques without a bank account.)
The bride and groom must apply for the licence together, in person, at the Office of the City Clerk. There are City Clerk offices in each of New York City’s five boroughs. To find the addresses and business hours of these offices, call 212 669 2778.
When applying for your licence, you must prove that there is nothing that should prevent you from legally marrying. For example, you must provide any information about any previous marriages, and you may be asked to provide a divorce decree.
You will receive your marriage licence on the day you apply for it. However, you must wait at least 24 hours before the marriage ceremony is performed.
You must present the City Clerk with valid identification, which can include a driver’s licence, or a non-driver’s identification card, from the US or one of its territories (If you are using driving ‘learner’s permit’, it must be from New York State, an active US military card, a valid passport, your US certification of naturalization (it must have been issued within the last 10 years), your permanent resident (Green) card, with valid expiration, and your work permit, also with valid expiration.
Once you have obtained your marriage licence, the ceremony may be performed by any number of religious or civil individuals, according to your preferences and beliefs. This includes the mayor or former mayor of New York City, judges, priests and rabbis, as long as the person conducting the ceremony is registered with the City of New York. To check and see if the person you have chosen to marry you is registered, call the Office of the City Clerk at 212 669 2778. The cost of getting married by a religious official can be several hundred dollars or higher, depending on the house of worship and the particular person you ask to perform the ceremony.
You can choose to have a civil (non-religious) ceremony, performed by the City Clerk. Just go to an office in any one of the five boroughs during business hours and the clerk will marry you and provide you with your marriage certificate that day. All you will need is a $25 money order, at least one person over 18 to serve as a witness, and photo identification for the bride, groom, and witness.
If you have been married by someone other than the City Clerk, the person who performed the ceremony will fill out the certificate and mail it to the City Clerk’s office within five days a copy will later be mailed to your home.
A foreign country’s embassy or consulate, however, is considered a ‘foreign jurisdiction’. Therefore, if you want to send a copy of your marriage certificate you will have to send one with a raised seal and original signature. You may request one from the Office of the City Clerk in Manhattan: there is a $35 fee, payable by money order. If you are basing your residency upon your marriage, you should send a copy to US Immigration or your native country’s embassy.
If you are from another country and have married a US citizen, the good news is that your marriage is most likely valid anywhere in the world; the general rule is if the marriage is valid where the ceremony took place, it is valid everywhere.
Tax Implications
When you get married, your filing status changes for tax purposes. You must inform the IRS if your name or address changes. You must also choose whether you want to file a joint tax return with your spouse, or whether you want to file as ‘married filing separately’. If you have changed your last name you must also inform the Social Security Administration.
It is strongly advised that you consult an accountant regarding the best way to deal with your taxes.
Domestic Partnerships
New York City law has created a relationship category protecting certain rights for same-sex and other non-traditional couples. In order to be eligible for a domestic partnership, either both people must be New York City residents, or at least one of them must be employed by the City of New York. Both partners must be 18 years or older, and they must be otherwise eligible. For example, neither can be married and they must not be related by blood. The partners must show that they are in a close, committed relationship and that they live together. Finally, neither partner can be involved in another domestic partnership, or have been in one in the past six months.
Paperwork
Registering for a domestic partnership is a very simple procedure. The partners must file a Domestic Partnership Affidavit, signed by both and notarised, with the Office of the City Clerk. The fee is $36, payable only by money order. Both partners have to show valid identification, including a driver’s licence or a non-driver ID, an original birth certificate, a passport, an official school record, an immigration or employee authorisation card. The City Clerk will then issue a Certificate of Domestic Partnership.
While a domestic partnership does not confer the same legal status as a marriage, it does provide a few of the same benefits. Domestic partners who work for the City of New York can take bereavement leave or childcare leave. Domestic partners can visit each other in prison, and in hospitals that are run by the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation. And, as anyone who has braved the New York real estate market can appreciate, a domestic partner may be added to a lease for an apartment, as a family member, by the New York City Housing Authority. Domestic partners can also succeed to the tenancy if the other partner passes away. New York City employees can add their domestic partners to their healthcare policies. For a complete list of benefits, check with the City Clerk’s office.
Termination of a Domestic Partnership
Dissolving the domestic partnership is even easier than registering it: one party files a termination statement with the Clerk’s office. In addition, the partnership is automatically terminated if one of the partners marries.
