Marriage License Requirements

How to apply for a Marriage License

Both the bride and the groom must:

• Apply for the marriage license together in person and sign the license in the presence of the Town Clerk or his assistant, attesting to the truth of the information listed thereon.
• Present a certified copy from your city/town/state (with raised seal) of a birth certificate. A hospital record is not a certified copy.  Only a long-form will be accepted. A valid passport or alien card may be accepted for a foreign birth when the applicant is unable to obtain a birth record in their country of birth.
• Present a valid government-issued picture ID, e.g., a State issued driver’s license or passport.
• If previously married, present a certified copy of the Final Divorce Decree with the raised stamped court seal or a certified copy of the death certificate of the previous spouse.
• If under age 18 or under control of a legal guardian, parent or legal guardian must complete a Minor’s Permit to Marry.  Grooms under age 18 and brides under age 16 need court permission to marry.

Marriage License Application

Where to apply if residents of Rhode Island

• If the bride lives in Rhode Island, apply for the license from the city/town clerk of the bride’s residence.
• If the bride does not live in Rhode Island but the groom does live in Rhode Island, apply for the license from the city/town clerk of the groom’s residence.
• When either the bride or groom is a resident of Rhode Island the marriage license is valid in any city or town in Rhode Island.

Where to apply if non-resident of Rhode Island

• When both the bride and groom do not live in Rhode Island the marriage license must be obtained at the city/town clerk’s office where the ceremony will take place. Rhode Island law states that the marriage license is valid only in the city/town in which it was issued when neither the bride nor groom is a resident of Rhode Island.
• If the marriage ceremony is performed in a city/town other than the city/town of issuance, the validity of the marriage may be in question.

General information

The license is valid for three (3) months beginning with the date of issuance. The ceremony must occur during that three-month period.  If the bride and groom do not marry, the license should be returned to the city/town office where the license was issued. 

The cost of the Marriage License is $24 payable by check, cash or money order. Please note that this office does not accept credit/debit cards.

Who may be a witness at the ceremony

In addition to the officiant, the solemnization of marriage shall be in the presence of at least two (2) witnesses who have reached the age of 18.

If the honor attendants are less than 18 years of age, any other persons who have reached the age of 18 and who were present at the ceremony may sign as witnesses.

Who may perform the ceremony

Every ordained clergy or elder in good standing, every justice of the supreme court, superior court, family court, workers’ compensation court, district court or administrative adjudication court, the clerk of the supreme court, every clerk or general chief clerk of a superior court, family court, district court, or administrative adjudication court, magistrates, special or general magistrates of the superior court, family court or district court, administrators of the workers’ compensation court, every former justice or judge and former administrator of these courts and every former chief clerk of the district court, and every former clerk or general chief clerk of a superior court may join persons in marriage in any city/town in Rhode Island; and every justice and former justice of the municipal courts of the cities and towns of this state and of the police court of the Town of Johnston and every probate judge may join persons in marriage in any city/town in Rhode Island, and wardens of the Town of New Shoreham may join persons in marriage in New Shoreham.

It is the responsibility of the officiant to register the marriage record with 72 hours at the Rhode Island city/town office where the license was issued.

How to obtain certified copies of the marriage record

• Complete an application at the city/town clerk’s office where the ceremony was performed
• At the State Office of Vital Records, One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI within a month of the ceremony
• At the city/town of the bride’s or groom’s Rhode Island residence within two months of the ceremony

Certified copes are $20 for one copy and $15 for each additional copy obtained at the same time. Click here to see form for details.