City of Newark marriage license
To marry in City of Newark, you apply to the City of Newark Office of the City Clerk, Marriage Bureau. There, both applicants must appear together and the license is valid throughout the state.
- Fee
- $28
- Waiting period
- 72 hoursWaiver available
- License valid
- 30 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- YesTogether, at the same time
Reviewed July 30, 20269 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- Yes
The City links an online application form in English and Spanish, but it only starts the paperwork. The couple must still attend the Marriage Bureau in person: the application has to be signed under oath in front of the issuing authority, and it is the in-person appointment that starts the 72-hour clock.
Official requirementOnline Application - English
- Apply in person
- Yes
New Jersey licenses are municipal, not county. Newark's Marriage Bureau sits in the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall, 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Boulevard, Room B9, open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., by appointment only. The separate Office of Vital Statistics at 394 University Avenue registers the marriage afterwards and issues certified copies; it does not take license applications.
Official requirementYou must make an appointment to apply for marriage license.
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
New Jersey's state form allows one applicant to file first purely to start the 72-hour clock, in which case the same identifying witness must return with the second applicant. Newark's own requirements sheet asks for the couple, and the application must be completed by both parties before any license is issued.
Official requirementTHE COUPLE MUST BE PRESENT AND PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:
- Residency
- New Jersey residents apply in the municipality where either applicant lives, and one applicant must show proof of residency dated within the last 90 days. If neither applicant is a New Jersey resident, the application is made in the municipality where the ceremony will take place — so a couple applies in Newark either because one of them lives in Newark or because they are marrying in Newark.
Accepted proof of residency includes a gas or electric bill, cable or internet bill, home or cell phone bill, credit card statement, hospital bill, water bill, property tax bill, car insurance bill or bank statement, each less than 90 days old.
Official requirement-THE MARRIAGE/CIVIL UNION LICENSE APPLICATION IS TO BE MADE IN THE NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITY IN WHICH EITHER PARTY RESIDES AND THE LICENSE IS VALID THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
- One of the following as proof of identity: valid passport
- Valid NJ DMV driver's license or valid NJ DMV non-driver I.D.
- Military photo ID
- Essex County ID (Hall of Records)
- Proof of residency presented by one applicant, dated within the previous 90 days
- Social Security number
- A witness aged 18 or older, who must attend with the couple
Applicants and the witness must be able to read and write, and the witness must be able to translate for the applicants in English. Any document in a foreign language must come with a certified English translation.
Official requirement- ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FOR PROOF OF IDENTITY: VALID PASSPORT VALID NJ DMV DRIVERS LICENSE / VALID NJ DMV NON-DRIVERS I.D. MILITARY PHOTO ID ESSEX COUNTY ID (HALL OF RECORDS)
- Social Security number
- Each applicant must give a Social Security number at the application appointment. The number is required by law for U.S. citizens and is kept confidential.Official requirement
- PLUS – SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, IF APPLIES:
- Age
- Both applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of application, and neither may already be a party to another marriage, civil union or domestic partnership in New Jersey or recognized by New Jersey.Official requirement
Be at least 18 years of age.
- Applicants under 18
This does not apply here.
New Jersey has no path to marriage below 18 — no parental-consent or judicial-approval route — so the Marriage Bureau has no minor rule to publish.
Not applicable hereNOTE 2. Both applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of application.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
- An applicant whose previous marriage, civil union or domestic partnership has ended must bring the relevant document: a divorce decree, a decree of annulment for a marriage or civil union, proof that a domestic partnership was terminated, or a death certificate.
A couple who are already married to each other and want to reaffirm the marriage in New Jersey apply for a remarriage license instead, bringing a certified copy of the existing marriage record; there is no 72-hour wait in that case.
Applies in some casesDIVORCE DECREE OR ANNULLED MARRIAGE, PREVIOUS CIVIL UNION ANNULLED, DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP TERMINATED OR DEATH CERTIFICATE.
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $28
Payable at the time of application. If the license expires unused, a new application and another $28 are required.
Official requirement- COST OF LICENSE IS $28.00 PAYABLE IN (CASH ONLY) AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION
- Payment methods
- Cash only
The Marriage Bureau takes cash for the license fee. The separate Office of Vital Statistics accepts debit and credit cards, cashier's checks and money orders for certified copies, but that is a different office and a different transaction.
Official requirementPAYABLE IN (CASH ONLY) AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- 72 hours
The 72 hours run from the moment the application is filed, not from the ceremony booking, and the license cannot be collected until they have elapsed. Weekends and public holidays count toward the 72 hours but the office is closed on them, so an application made on a Wednesday or Thursday matures on a day the Bureau is shut. There is no 72-hour wait for a remarriage where the couple bring a certified copy of their existing marriage.
Official requirement72 HOUR WAITING PERIOD FROM TIME OF APPLICATION TO PICK UP LICENSE
- Waiver
- A Superior Court judge can waive all or part of the 72-hour waiting period. Without that order the local Registrar may not issue the license early.
Newark's Marriage Bureau does not publish a procedure for obtaining the order.
Official requirementA Superior Court judge can waive all or part of the 72-hour waiting period.
- License expires
- 30 days
Thirty days runs from the date the license is issued — which is at least 72 hours after the application. Do not confuse this with the application, which stays valid for six months from the date it is filed (extendable by the Registrar to a maximum of one year). Only one license may be granted from one application; if the license expires unused, the couple must reapply and pay the fee again.
Official requirementOnce the license is issued, it is good for 30 days from the date of issuance.
- Where it is valid
- A license issued in Newark because one applicant lives there is valid anywhere in New Jersey. A license issued to a couple who are both non-residents is valid only for a ceremony in Newark. A New Jersey license may never be used outside New Jersey.
The validity therefore depends on why the couple applied in Newark, not on where the office is.
Official requirement-IF NEITHER APPLICANT IS A NEW JERSEY RESIDENT, SUBMIT THE APPLICATION IN THE MUNICIPALITY WHERE THE MARRIAGE/CIVIL UNION CEREMONY WILL BE PERFORMED, THE LICENSE IS ONLY VALID IN THE ISSUING MUNICIPALITY.
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
- One identifying witness aged 18 or older must attend the application appointment with the couple. The witness swears an oath alongside the applicants and signs the application. If only one applicant files first to start the 72-hour clock, the same witness must return when the second applicant completes the application.
This is a witness to the application, not to the ceremony — an unusual requirement that catches couples out. The witness must be able to read and write and to translate for the applicants in English. Neither the Marriage Bureau nor the state's marriage-license guidance publishes a required number of witnesses at the ceremony itself.
Official requirement- ONE WITNESS (18 YEARS OR OLDER)
- Officiant
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The City Clerk's Marriage Bureau publishes no officiant list, ceremony service or ceremony guidance of its own. The New Jersey Department of Health's marriage-license pages carry the statewide list of judges, public officials, ministers and certified civil celebrants who may solemnize a marriage.
Not published by this office
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
- The person who performed the ceremony must file the completed license and certificate with the registrar of the municipality where the ceremony took place. For a Newark ceremony that is Newark's Office of Vital Statistics, which registers the marriage and holds the record.
The state advises couples to confirm the certificate was actually filed, because a missing filing is discovered late, when proof of marriage is needed. Newark publishes no deadline of its own for the officiant's return.
Official requirementThe Office of Vital Statistics registers vital events that occur in the City of Newark and maintains these vital records:
- Processing
- The license is not handed over at the application appointment. The couple applies, waits the full 72 hours, and then collects the license from the Marriage Bureau.
Afterwards, a certified copy of the marriage record costs $25 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy of the same record. Walk-in requests at the Office of Vital Statistics are issued the same day; mail requests take up to four weeks and online orders up to three weeks by regular mail.
Official requirement72 HOUR WAITING PERIOD FROM TIME OF APPLICATION TO PICK UP LICENSE
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
- Official requirement
- The City states it works to comply with Section 508 and with WCAG 2.0 A and AA
- Users who have difficulty accessing the site are asked to contact the City, giving the nature of the problem and the preferred format
- The marriage license requirements sheet and the online application are both published in Spanish as well as English
- The Marriage Bureau publishes no interpretation service for the application appointment; the identifying witness is expected to translate into English if needed
We work to comply with Section 508 as well as WCAG 2.0 A and AA referring to website accessibility standards.
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in City of Newark?
- The fee is $28, set by the City of Newark Office of the City Clerk, Marriage Bureau.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in City of Newark?
- Yes. A waiting period of 72 hours applies between issuance and the ceremony. A waiver is available in some circumstances.
- How long is a City of Newark marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 30 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do both partners have to appear in person in City of Newark?
- Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in City of Newark?
- New Jersey residents apply in the municipality where either applicant lives, and one applicant must show proof of residency dated within the last 90 days. If neither applicant is a New Jersey resident, the application is made in the municipality where the ceremony will take place — so a couple applies in Newark either because one of them lives in Newark or because they are marrying in Newark.
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 LicenseCity of Newark Office of the City Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Marriage License Requirements (City Clerk)City of Newark City Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Vital StatisticsCity of Newark Department of Health & Community Wellness, Office of Vital Statistics · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Frequently Asked Questions — City of Newark CertificatesCity of Newark · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Website AccessibilityCity of Newark · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Vital Statistics: Marriage LicenseNew Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Entering into a Marriage or Civil Union in New Jersey (REG-D30)New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Vital Statistics: Frequently Asked QuestionsNew Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Application for License — Marriage, Remarriage, Civil Union, Reaffirmation of Civil Union (REG-77)New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
Recorded conflicts
- New Jersey licenses are municipal. There is no Essex County marriage license: a couple applies to a New Jersey municipality, and the county appears only on the paperwork. This record is filed under Essex County because that is where Newark sits, not because the county issues anything.
- New Jersey's state guidance and its state application form describe the local Registrar of Vital Statistics as the officer who takes the application and signs the license. In Newark those two functions sit in different City offices: the City Clerk's Marriage Bureau at City Hall takes marriage-license applications and issues the license, while the Office of Vital Statistics in the Department of Health & Community Wellness at 394 University Avenue registers the completed marriage and issues certified copies. The City's own FAQ resolves it — "Apply for a marriage license with the City Clerk's Office" — so this record names the Marriage Bureau as the issuing authority.
- The $28 fee and the cash-only rule appear only in the City Clerk's downloadable requirements sheet, which was last revised in 2023; the Marriage License web page itself states no fee. Following the usual caution about fees printed on downloadable forms, the figure was cross-checked against the New Jersey Department of Health, which publishes the same $28 statewide license fee. The two agree, so the sheet is not stale on this point. The cash-only restriction is Newark's own and has no state-level equivalent.
- Two different clocks run in New Jersey and they are easy to confuse. The application stays valid for six months from filing (extendable by the Registrar to one year); the license, once issued, is good for 30 days. The 30-day figure is the one that governs the ceremony date. Neither figure is published by Newark itself — both come from the state brochure, which is permitted here because license lifespan is set by state law.
- The online marriage-license application Newark links from its page runs on a third-party host (GovPilot). It is recorded as a navigation link only; every Newark fact in this record comes from newarknj.gov.
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