Friday, January 24, 2014

New York Public Marriage Records

New York Public Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Applying for a marriage in New York will require both couples to head for the nearest town or city clerk. The application for a license has to be in the city or county where they are planning to get married at. The law states that the couples have to fill out the form in the presence of a clerk. This means that proxies or representatives are not allowed even if they have special powers of attorney or notarized marriage license affidavits. Thankfully, the state of New York doesn't require the couple to undergo physical exams such as a blood test or premarital examination.

Once the license is issued to the couple, they need to wait 24 hours before they can get married. This isn't a big issue as most couples have their wedding days scheduled months after getting their licenses. However if the couple wants to be married immediately, the can make a request from the supreme court or county court to waive the 24 hour waiting period. If one of the couple or both are 16 years old and below, the request to waive the 24 hour period can be obtained from the family court instead. The license to wed is valid up to three months or 60 days. For same sex weddings, the rules are the same.

Applying for a marriage license will cost the couple $40 if they live outside of New York City but within the state of New York. The fee already includes the cost of the certificate of marriage registration. Once it is filed, the registration is sent within 15 calendar days to the couple. For couples who want to be wed in New York City, they will have to approach the nearest city clerk for the updated fees in getting a license to wed.

You may also obtain marriage records or copies of licenses for other purposes. There are various uses for a marriage document. The document can be used to complete a genealogical tree. Others may use it to prove their relation to certain family members such as in-laws or stepchildren. For legal purposes, it can be used as supporting papers for someone filing a divorce. Some may need it to verify their status as widow or widower to signify that they were once married to the deceased spouse.

The fee in getting a copy of a marriage registration and license is $10 for general purposes. For genealogical purposes, the fees vary depending on the date of the wedding. The fee starts at $22 for weddings within 1 to 3 years. Fees can reach as high as $202 for marriages that took place 90 years ago. For weddings for the years 1996 to present, the documents can be found at the New York City clerk. Weddings within 1930 to 1955, the records are located at the Manhattan office. If you're unsure where to get your records, call the nearest clerk to ask for information. Once you've found the right office and clerk, fill out an application request form and submit it with your fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope so you can have your documents mailed to your home.

It's a good thing that there are websites that offer free marriage records that you can browse. The search tool makes it easier for you to look for a specific wedding than having to sift through possibly thousands of records. You'll find a lot of websites offering the service and they will only charge you if you need a physical document or a certified record.




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