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City of Boston exact answer

How is a completed marriage license returned in City of Boston?

This answer belongs to the issuing office and task named above. It does not substitute a statewide summary or infer a rule the office does not publish.

Direct answer

In City of Boston, the person who performed the ceremony must complete the license and return it to the Registry Division, 1 City Hall Square, Room 213, Boston, MA 02201-2006. The marriage is not registered until that happens. State law requires the officiant to return the certificate to the clerk or registrar who issued it no later than the tenth day of the month following the month in which the ceremony took place.

Published rule and conditions

Return and recording rule
The person who performed the ceremony must complete the license and return it to the Registry Division, 1 City Hall Square, Room 213, Boston, MA 02201-2006. The marriage is not registered until that happens.

State law requires the officiant to return the certificate to the clerk or registrar who issued it no later than the tenth day of the month following the month in which the ceremony took place.

Official requirement

The person who performed the ceremony needs to complete the marriage license and mail it to the City

Issuing office

City of Boston Registry Division (Registry: Birth, Death, and Marriage)

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Official sources for this answer

  • How to Get Married in BostonCity of Boston Registry Division - checked July 26, 2026

    To apply for a marriage license couples must apply together, make an appointment, and come to City Hall in person. A marriage license is only good to use between 3 and 60 days in Massachusetts from the date you applied. You also can't use the marriage license outside of Massachusetts. The Registry will issue your marriage license immediately. However, you cannot use it to get married for 3 days after your appointment. A $50 application fee. We take cash, a debit or credit card, or a money order made payable to the "City of Boston".

  • Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 207, Section 40: Solemnization of marriage; records; returnsThe General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - checked July 26, 2026

    He shall also return each certificate issued under section twenty-eight no later than the tenth day of the month following each month in which marriages are solemnized by him to the clerk or registrar who issued the same.

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MarriageLicenseCheck is an independent reference, not the issuing office or legal advice. Applicant facts, timing, prior marriages, and document type can change the result. The official office decides what it will accept.

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