Justice of the Peace Powers
Residence Requirements: You do not need to be a resident of NH in order to be legally married in NH*. A marriage application may be filed for in any town or city within the state of NH.Filing Intentions: Any couple wishing to marry in NH must appear together at the town/city clerks office as both signatures are required. Call your clerks office for exceptions for military personnel unable to appear in person. All couples will be required to pay a marriage license fee of $45.
Documents Required: Both applicants will need to supply proof of age. If any applicant has been previously married they will need to supply a certified copy of a death certificate of former spouse, divorce decree from former spouse or annulment decree from former spouse. No blood tests are required.
License Validity Period: The marriage license will be valid for 90 days from the date of issue. There is currently no waiting period to get married in the State of NH. (revised 7-01-06) Marriage Ceremony:Marriages in the state of NH can be performed by any of the following;
~ Justice of the Peace commissioned in NH
~ A minister of the gospel in NH who has been ordained according to the usage of his denomination, resides in NH and is in regular standing with the denomination
~ A minister within his parish, residing outside NH but having a pastoral charge wholly or partly in NH
~ Jewish Rabbis who are citizens of the US and reside in NH
~ Quakers
~ A Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church ordained according to the usage of his denomination
~ Clergymen who are not ordained and non-resident ministers or Jewish Rabbis, after being licensed by the Secretary of State Receiving Your Certified Marriage Certificate: You can obtain your certified copy from the town/city clerks office where you filed for your license after the officiate has completed and returned the marriage certificate to the clerk. This will take approximately two weeks. Additional copies can also be obtained for a small fee.
Miscellaneous: It is not legal in the state of NH to marry your first cousin or anyone in closer kinship to you.
It is not legal to be married in the state of NH if you are under the age of 18. Exceptions are made if you are a female between the ages of 13 and 17 or a male between the ages of 14 and 17 and have obtained parental permission and a waiver from a superior court or probate court judge.
*No marriage by parties residing outside of NH shall be construed as legal if the jurisdiction they live in would interpret such a marriage as null and void. This also applies to residents of NH if they are married outside of NH jurisdiction and NH would interpret the marriage as null and void.
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