City of Manchester marriage license
To marry in City of Manchester, you apply to the City of Manchester Office of the City Clerk. There, both applicants must appear together and there is no residency requirement.
- Fee
- $50
- Waiting period
- NoneMarry the same day
- License valid
- 90 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- YesTogether, at the same time
Reviewed July 30, 20266 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- No
The Clerk publishes no online or mail application. The one published exception to appearing is for a member of the armed forces who cannot attend: that party's armed forces legal representative prepares an affidavit of marriage intentions and forwards it to the City Clerk.
Official requirementBoth individuals must appear at the same time between 8 am-3 pm (no later) in the Office of the City Clerk.
- Apply in person
- Yes
In-person application is the only published route. No appointment is taken or needed; applications are accepted between 8 am and 3 pm.
Official requirementBoth individuals must appear at the same time between 8 am-3 pm (no later) in the Office of the City Clerk.
When to apply
We will work out when you can apply. We never ask for names, dates of birth or any other personal detail.
Who must appear
- Both applicants
- Yes
Both parties must be there at the same time, not on separate visits. The single published exception is for a member of the armed forces who cannot appear in person.
Official requirementBoth individuals must appear at the same time between 8 am-3 pm (no later) in the Office of the City Clerk. However, if either party (or both) is a member of the armed forces, he or she shall forward an affidavit of marriage intentions, prepared by the armed forces legal representative, to the City Clerk, if he or she cannot appear in person.
- Residency
- There is no residency requirement. Anyone marrying in New Hampshire may apply with any city or town clerk in the state, whatever their place of residence, so Manchester will issue to a couple with no connection to the city.
This is a statewide rule, not a Manchester concession. The license is then usable anywhere in New Hampshire, not only in the city that issued it.
Official requirementAnyone wishing to be married in the State of New Hampshire must complete a Marriage License Application with any City or Town Clerk regardless of their place of residence.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
- Proof of age — for example a driver's license, passport, or certified birth certificate
- Photo identification — for example a driver's license or passport
- Certified copy of the death certificate of a former spouse, if either applicant is widowed
- Certified copy of a final divorce certificate, if either applicant is divorced
- Certified copy of a civil annulment certificate (a court document), if an applicant's previous marriage was annulled
- Any document not in English must be accompanied by a translation signed by the translator, with the translator's signature witnessed by a notary
Originals only — the Clerk states it accepts no photocopies or electronic copies. For couples getting the license and marrying at City Hall the same day where it is a first marriage for both, the Clerk states photo identification is the only document needed.
Official requirementIdentification Requirements: (no photo or electronic copies)
- Social Security number
- A Social Security number must be given by both parties on the marriage license application.
It is one of the items the Clerk lists as required information on the application, alongside birthplace, date of birth and parents' names.
Official requirementSocial security number
- Age
- Both applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Marriage is also barred between people related by blood as first cousins or in any more direct lineage, and no one may be married to more than one person at a time.
Official requirementAn individual who has reached the age of 18 can marry.
- Applicants under 18
- No license may be issued to anyone under 18. New Hampshire has no parental-consent or judicial-approval route for a minor, and a marriage contracted below 18 is void.
The former consent and waiver provisions at RSA 457:5-a, 457:6 and 457:7 were repealed effective 1 January 2025, and RSA 457:8 bars a town or city clerk from issuing a certificate for the marriage of anyone under 18.
Official requirementNo person below the age of 18 years shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage, and all marriages contracted by such persons shall be null and void.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
- If either applicant is divorced, a certified copy of the final divorce certificate must be produced. If either applicant is widowed, a certified copy of the death certificate of the former spouse must be produced. If a previous marriage was annulled, a certified copy of the civil annulment certificate — a court document — must be produced. The application also asks how the previous marriage ended.
Certified copies only; the Clerk accepts no photocopies or electronic copies. Both applicants must produce their own document if both have been married before.
Applies in some casesCertified copy of a final divorce certificate, if either applicant is divorced
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $50
The $50 covers the license only. A ceremony performed by the Clerk's Justice of the Peace at City Hall is priced separately. Paying by credit card adds $1.95 or 2.75% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater.
Official requirementThe fee to apply for a marriage license is $50.00.
- Payment methods
- Official requirement
- Cash
- Check, made payable to the City of Manchester
- Credit card — adds $1.95 or 2.75% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater
Payment can be made with cash, check, or credit card.
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- None
The license can be used as soon as it is issued. The Clerk will marry a couple at City Hall the same day they apply.
Official requirementThere is no waiting period in the State of New Hampshire.
- Waiver
This does not apply here.
There is no waiting period in New Hampshire, so there is nothing to waive.
Not applicable here- License expires
- 90 days
The 90 days runs from the date of the application, not from a later collection date and not from the ceremony date. RSA 457:26 puts the same limit as 90 days from the date of filing.
Official requirementThe license is valid for use for 90 days from the date of the application.
- Where it is valid
- Valid for a ceremony in any city or town in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire does not restrict use to the city or town that issued the license. The Clerk publishes nothing about using a New Hampshire license outside the state.
Official requirementOnce the marriage license is issued, the couple is free to marry within any city or town in the State of New Hampshire within 90 days.
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
- No witnesses are required. Guests may attend but are not needed for the marriage to be valid.
The Clerk publishes this in the section describing ceremonies performed by its own Justice of the Peace at City Hall, not as a general statement about ceremonies held elsewhere in New Hampshire.
Official requirementNo witnesses are required, however, you are more than welcome to bring a small group of guests with you.
- Officiant
- The Clerk's Office performs ceremonies at City Hall between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm on a first-come, first-served basis, with no appointment. With a valid New Hampshire license already in hand the total is $250 ($235 for the Justice of the Peace and $15 for the marriage certificate); getting the license and marrying the same day is $300 ($50 for the license, $235 for the Justice of the Peace and $15 for the certified marriage certificate). Elsewhere in New Hampshire a marriage may be solemnized by a Justice of the Peace commissioned in New Hampshire; an ordained minister of the gospel who resides in New Hampshire and is in regular standing with the denomination; a minister residing outside New Hampshire but with a pastoral charge wholly or partly in the state; Jewish Rabbis who are United States citizens residing in the state; Quakers; a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church; and judges of the United States, United States magistrate judges residing in the state, unordained clergy and non-resident Justices of the Peace, ministers and Jewish Rabbis after being licensed by the Secretary of State.
Only service dogs are allowed in City Hall; comfort and emotional support animals are not. The lobby is small, so the Clerk asks couples to keep that in mind when bringing guests.
Official requirementWe are happy to offer wedding ceremonies here at City Hall for couples who would simply like to exchange vows.
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The City Clerk does not publish a deadline or a procedure for returning the completed license after a ceremony held elsewhere. Ask the officiant, or the Clerk's Office on 603-624-6455, before the ceremony.
Not published by this office- Processing
- The license is issued while you wait. Filling in the marriage worksheet usually takes 15 to 20 minutes, after which the Justice of the Peace prints the license for you to review. Couples applying and marrying the same day should plan on 45 minutes to an hour in the office.
A certified copy of the marriage certificate costs $15 for the first copy and $10 for each additional copy ordered at the same time for the same record.
Official requirementYou will fill out the marriage worksheet, which usually takes between 15-20 minutes, and the JP will print out the marriage license for you to review.
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
- The Clerk's Office arranges disability-related accommodations, sign language interpreters, and materials in other formats on request on 603-624-6455
- Only service dogs are allowed in City Hall; comfort and emotional support animals are not
- The City aims to adhere to WCAG 2.1 Level AA and uses Acquia Web Governance as an ongoing monitoring service
- An Accessibility Feedback Form is published for reporting barriers on the City website
The City publishes no language-access or translation commitment for the Clerk's marriage services. The Clerk does state that a document not in English must be accompanied by a notarized translator's signature, which is a documentation rule rather than a translation service.
Official requirementIf a disability-related accommodation, sign language interpreter, or materials in other formats should be required, please contact our office at 603-624-6455.
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in City of Manchester?
- The fee is $50, set by the City of Manchester Office of the City Clerk.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in City of Manchester?
- No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
- How long is a City of Manchester marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 90 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do both partners have to appear in person in City of Manchester?
- Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in City of Manchester?
- There is no residency requirement. Anyone marrying in New Hampshire may apply with any city or town clerk in the state, whatever their place of residence, so Manchester will issue to a couple with no connection to the city.
Each answer restates the verified rule above; the official wording and sources are in the numbered sections.
Sources and reviewed date
Every fact above is quoted from one of these pages. Reviewed July 30, 2026.
- Marriage Licenses and CeremoniesCity of Manchester Office of the City Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Marriage CertificateCity of Manchester Office of the City Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Accessibility StatementCity of Manchester · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- RSA 457:4 MarriageableNew Hampshire General Court · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- RSA 457:8 ProhibitionsNew Hampshire General Court · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- RSA 457:26 Marriage LicenseNew Hampshire General Court · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
Recorded conflicts
- New Hampshire has no county-level marriage license issuer. Under RSA 457:22 the application is entered in a town or city clerk's office, so this record is filed under the City of Manchester and its City Clerk. Hillsborough County is recorded only as the surrounding county and issues nothing.
- The Clerk states the 90-day life of the license twice with slightly different start points: the opening paragraph says the couple is free to marry "within 90 days" once the license is issued, while the "Validity of License" heading says it is "valid for use for 90 days from the date of the application." RSA 457:26 measures it as 90 days from the date of filing. The application/filing date is recorded here because it is the earlier of the two readings and the one the statute uses.
- "No witnesses are required" is published inside the section describing ceremonies performed by the Clerk's own Justice of the Peace at City Hall, not as a general statement of New Hampshire law. It is recorded as the Clerk publishes it and the scope is stated in the field note.
- The New Hampshire Secretary of State's Division of Vital Records Administration blocks automated retrieval — sos.nh.gov returns HTTP 403 to page requests and HTTP 503 to its "Marriage in NH" leaflet — so no state vital-records page is cited. Every Manchester-specific fact comes from the City Clerk's own page; the state-level citations are to the statutes themselves on the New Hampshire General Court site.
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