Marriage License Requirements in Massachusetts

Every couple getting married in Massachusetts must have a marriage license issued in Massachusetts.

As of 2005, you no longer need blood work to apply for a marriage license. You must both apply in person at any town clerk’s office on the Island or any city or town clerks office in Massachusetts. If one person is in the military, intentions may be filed by either party, providing one is a Massachusetts resident. If a person is incarcerated in a county house of correction or a state correctional facility, either party may file intentions. There is a mandatory three-day waiting period from the time the license is applied for until the license is issued. Sundays and holidays are included in the three days, but the day the application is made is not.

The Town Halls of Martha's Vineyard's six towns:

Town Clerk, Town of Edgartown P.O. Box 35, Edgartown MA 02539 (508) 627-6110

Town Clerk, Town of Oak Bluffs P.O. Box 2490, Oak Bluffs MA 02557 (508) 693-5515

Town Clerk, Town of Tisbury P.O. Box 606, Vineyard Haven MA 02568 (508) 696-4215

Town Clerk, Town of West Tisbury P.O. Box 278, West Tisbury MA 02575 (508) 696-0148

Town Clerk, Town of Chilmark Beetlebung Corner, Chilmark MA 02535 (508) 645-2107

Town Clerk, Town of Aquinnah 65 State Road, Aquinnah, MA 02535 (508) 645-2300

A marriage license is good for 60 days from the date intentions are filed and may be used in any Massachusetts city or town. It is not valid outside of the state. A Massachusetts resident may marry if he or she is 18 years of age or older. A birth certificate, driver's license, etc., is required to show proof of age. If either party is under 18, a court order from a probabte or district court where the minor resides must be obtained before the marriage intentions can be filed. The cost is about $20.

Divorced applicants are not required to present a divorce certificate when filing intentions to marry. However, it is extremely important that an individual who has been divorced be certain that his/her 'divorce nisi' has been granted, regardless of the grounds for divorce. There are no special requirements for a widow or widower who is remarrying. If either of the parties has arrived as an immigrant from a foreign country within five days, the application may be filed at anytime before the marriage and the certificate shall be issued at anytime after the filing.

Massachusetts statute does not require that witnesses be present at your ceremony. The member of the clergy or justice of the peace who performs your ceremony must complete and sign the original license and return it to the clerk of the town where the license was issued. If an out-of-state member of the clergy is to perform the marriage, the clergyperson must obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the Massachusetts Secretary of State prior to the ceremony:

Secretary of the Commonwealth
1 Ashburton Place, Room 1611
Boston, MA 02108-1512
(617) 727-7030, (617) 742-4528-fax
cis@sec.state.ma.us

The certificate, issued by the Public Records Division of the Office of the Secretary of State, is to be attached to the original license and returned to the clerk of the town in which the license was issued.

Anyone wishing the procedures to perform (solemnize) Marriages by Special One Day Designation, click here. 

Additional information about marrying in Massachusetts.