City of Burlington marriage license
To marry in City of Burlington, you apply to the City of Burlington Office of the City Clerk/Treasurer. There, the applicants do not both have to appear, there is no residency requirement and the license is valid throughout the state.
- Fee
- $80
- Waiting period
- NoneMarry the same day
- License valid
- 60 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- NoOnly one applicant has to appear at the counter — an unusual rule that many other states do not share
Reviewed July 30, 20266 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- No
The State application form can be downloaded and completed before the appointment — both parties must sign it — but the license itself is issued only at the counter, and at least one applicant has to sign it in front of the clerk.
Official requirementNo. A marriage license cannot be issued through the mail, and you cannot be married by a proxy.
- Apply in person
- Yes
Walk-ins are taken when no appointment is already booked for that slot. No marriage license appointments are accepted after 4:00 pm. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and closed for all federal and state holidays.
Official requirementMarriage licenses are issued by appointment only – appointments are available every half hour from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. Walk-ins are welcome if there is not an appointment already scheduled at that time.
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
- No
Only one applicant has to appear at the counter — an unusual rule that many other states do not share. Both parties must still have signed the application beforehand, and both must sign the license itself before the ceremony takes place.
Official requirementVermont law requires that at least one of you must be present to sign the license in front of a town clerk, and both parties MUST sign the application.
- Residency
- There is no residency requirement. A license may be obtained from any town or city clerk in Vermont, whether or not either applicant lives in Vermont or in Burlington.
18 V.S.A. § 5131(a)(3) — "The license shall be issued by any town clerk in the State" — took effect on 1 July 2022 and replaced the older rule that a Vermont resident had to apply in a town of residence. See the conflict note about the Health Department's older clerk manual.
Official requirementMarriage license applications are issued by Vermont town clerks. If you are getting married in Vermont, you may get a marriage license from any town clerk in Vermont.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
- A State or Federal identification document for each applicant — for example a driver's license, a non-driver identification card, or a passport
The Clerk publishes no document requirement for a previous marriage, civil union or divorce: it asks for the date and the manner in which the previous union ended rather than a certified copy.
Official requirementYou must bring a State or Federal ID with you to obtain the license (this includes a driver's license, non-driver's license, passport, etc.).
- Social Security number
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
Neither the Clerk's published list of required information nor the State Application for License of Civil Marriage states a Social Security number requirement.
Not published by this office- Age
- Both applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Vermont also bars marriage between close relatives — a parent, grandparent, sister, brother, child, grandchild, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle — and neither applicant may currently be married to, or in a civil union with, a third person. The law requires that both parties be of sound mind.
Official requirementTwo people who are at least 18 years old can obtain a civil marriage in Vermont.
- Applicants under 18
- No license may be issued to anyone under 18. Vermont publishes no parental-consent or judicial-approval route for a minor.
Separately, and at any age, anyone under guardianship cannot marry without the guardian's written consent. The State application asks whether either applicant has a legal guardian.
Official requirementBy Vermont law, no one under the age of 18 may marry in Vermont.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
- The clerk asks how many previous marriages and civil unions each applicant has had, how the last one ended, and on what date. If a former spouse or civil union partner has died, the clerk asks the date of death. If you are divorced, you may remarry from the date the previous marriage or civil union was legally dissolved. Partners in an existing civil union with each other are free to marry one another.
The Clerk publishes no requirement to produce a certified copy of a divorce decree, dissolution order or death certificate — only the date and the manner in which the previous union ended. That is unusual; confirm with the Clerk's Office on 802-865-7000 before your appointment. This information is confidential and does not appear on the marriage certificate.
Applies in some casesIf you are divorced, you may remarry after the date on which your previous marriage or civil union was legally dissolved.
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $80
The $80 is the license only. Paying by credit card adds a 2.65% processing fee. A certified copy of the marriage certificate is a further $10, and the Vermont Department of Health notes you can arrange and pay for it at the same time — $90 in total.
Official requirementThe marriage license costs $80.00, and is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued.
- Payment methods
- Official requirement
- Cash
- Check, made payable to the City of Burlington
- Credit card — adds a 2.65% processing fee
We accept cash or check. Credit cards are also accepted with a 2.65% processing fee.
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- None
The license can be used as soon as it is issued. The Clerk's own page does not restate this; the Vermont Department of Health publishes it as a statewide rule and no waiting period appears in 18 V.S.A. § 5131.
Official requirementYou will need a license, but you do not need blood tests, and there is no waiting period.
- Waiver
This does not apply here.
There is no waiting period in Vermont, so there is nothing to waive.
Not applicable here- License expires
- 60 days
The 60 days runs from the date of issue. 18 V.S.A. § 5131(b) makes the license void if the marriage is not solemnized inside that window. Back-dating also voids it: the Clerk states that a license dated earlier than the date it was purchased is void and is not recognized by state or federal government.
Official requirementThe marriage license costs $80.00, and is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued. During that time period, an authorized person must perform your wedding ceremony—otherwise, the license is void.
- Where it is valid
- Valid for a ceremony anywhere in Vermont, and only in Vermont.
Vermont does not restrict use to the town that issued the license, but a Vermont license cannot be used for a ceremony in another state.
Official requirementWith a valid Vermont license, you can be married anywhere in Vermont, but only in Vermont.
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
- No witnesses are required.
The Clerk's own page publishes no witness rule. The Vermont Department of Health adds that couples planning a religious ceremony should check whether the religion's own tenets require witnesses.
Official requirementVermont law does not require witnesses, but, if you are planning a religious ceremony, check to see if the religion's tenets require witnesses.
- Officiant
- The ceremony may be performed by a Supreme Court justice, a superior court judge, a district judge, a justice of the peace, or an ordained or licensed member of the clergy residing in Vermont. An officiant who does not reside in Vermont, or who is not recognized by the State, must obtain a permit from the Probate Court in the county where the marriage will take place. Alternatively, any person over 18 may register with the Vermont Secretary of State as a temporary officiant authorized to perform one specific Vermont marriage.
The Clerk's Office publishes no ceremony service of its own. The Vermont Department of Health puts the temporary-officiant registration fee at $100 and also lists a judge of probate and an assistant judge among those who may solemnize a marriage.
Official requirementYour marriage can be performed by: a Supreme Court justice, a superior court judge, a district judge, justice of the peace, or an ordained or licensed member of the clergy residing in Vermont.
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
- Both applicants must sign the license and deliver it to the officiant before the ceremony can be performed. After the ceremony the officiant completes the date, place and officiant sections and signs it, at which point the document becomes the marriage certificate. The officiant must return that certificate to the town clerk's office that issued the license within 10 days of the wedding. The certificate is not a complete legal document until the issuing clerk has recorded it.
A license back-dated to a date earlier than the day it was purchased is void and is not recognized by state or federal government. If the officiant registered with the Secretary of State as a temporary officiant, a copy of the certificate of authority issued by the Secretary of State should be attached to the signed license and returned with it.
Official requirementThe officiant must return the certificate to the town clerk’s office where it was issued within 10 days after the wedding, so that your marriage can be officially registered.
- Processing
- The license is issued while you wait; the Clerk asks couples to allow up to twenty minutes for it to be typed. Requests for a certified copy of the marriage certificate are processed and mailed within 2 to 4 business days.
A certified copy with a raised seal is $10; a photocopy without a seal is $2. Checks are payable to the City of Burlington.
Official requirementPlease allow for up to twenty minutes for the license to be typed.
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
- The Clerk publishes the marriage license application in Bosnian, French, Vietnamese, Swahili, Spanish, Kirundi, Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Nepali, Hindi, Chinese (Simplified) and Chinese (Traditional)
- The City works to comply with Section 508 and with WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA
- Users of assistive technology can ask for material in a preferred format through the City's contact form, stating the nature of the problem and the web address of the material
The translated applications are the State form; the Clerk's own web page and FAQ are published in English only.
Official requirementWe 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 Burlington?
- The fee is $80, set by the City of Burlington Office of the City Clerk/Treasurer.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in City of Burlington?
- No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
- How long is a City of Burlington marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do both partners have to appear in person in City of Burlington?
- No. Only one applicant has to appear at the counter — an unusual rule that many other states do not share.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in City of Burlington?
- There is no residency requirement. A license may be obtained from any town or city clerk in Vermont, whether or not either applicant lives in Vermont or in Burlington.
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 LicensesCity of Burlington Office of the City Clerk/Treasurer · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Vital Record CertificatesCity of Burlington Office of the City Clerk/Treasurer · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Website AccessibilityCity of Burlington · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Getting Married in Vermont FAQsVermont Department of Health, Vital Records Office · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- 18 V.S.A. § 5131: Issuance of civil marriage license; solemnization; return of civil marriage certificate; registrationVermont General Assembly, Vermont Statutes Online · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Vital Records Guidance for Town Clerks: Marriage Licenses and Registration of CertificatesVermont Department of Health, Vital Records Office · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
Recorded conflicts
- Chittenden County does not issue marriage licenses. Under 18 V.S.A. § 5131 the issuing authority in Vermont is the town or city clerk, so this record is filed under the City of Burlington and its Clerk/Treasurer's Office. Chittenden County is recorded only as the surrounding county.
- Only one applicant has to appear. Burlington and 18 V.S.A. § 5131(a)(1) both require just one party to sign the license in the presence of the clerk. That differs from most jurisdictions on this site, where both parties must attend, and it is recorded as published rather than normalized to the common pattern.
- The Vermont Department of Health's guidance manual for town clerks, last updated 13 August 2021, still says "If at least one applicant is a resident of Vermont, the license must be issued by the clerk in the town of residence." That is superseded. 18 V.S.A. § 5131(a)(3) — "The license shall be issued by any town clerk in the State" — was added by 2021 Acts and Resolves No. 92 and took effect on 1 July 2022, and the Department's own current public FAQ (February 2026) states "You may obtain a license from any Vermont town/city clerk." The current rule is what is recorded here.
- Vermont civil unions are a distinct legal status and are not marriage licenses; the two are kept separate in this record. No new Vermont civil unions have been certified since 2009. Their only bearing on a marriage license is that a civil union with a third person bars marrying, a civil union with your own partner does not, and partners marrying each other may elect on the license form to dissolve the civil union on solemnization but are not required to.
- The Clerk's list of who may perform the ceremony omits a judge of probate and an assistant judge, both of which the Vermont Department of Health's current FAQ includes. The lists are otherwise consistent; the wider state list is recorded in the officiant field note.
- The Clerk's "Schedule a Marriage License Appointment" button points at a Calendly booking page rather than a City-run system. It is recorded as a navigation link only and supplies no fact in this record.
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