How to get married in NYC as foreigners
Last updated on February 10th, 2026.
My husband and I (both non-US citizens) got married in New York City.
A process that was smooth at times and stressful at others, I want to share our personal NYC marriage experience.
In this guide, I’ll be outlining 7 steps on how to get married in NYC as foreigners. A helpful resource for non-Americans planning on getting married in New York, my hope is that it’ll help other couples.
I'll also be listing the pros and cons and what you need to get married in NYC.
Why New York City?
My husband and I both adore New York City. With a base in Manhattan and family connections in the state, it’s a destination we visit often.
And with both of us being European, there’s no other city that has the same magnetic draw as New York.
Saying that, when I suggested NYC as an option for our wedding, my husband jumped on board straight away.
This guide is helpful for getting married in New York if you’re British, Italian or from an EU country.
Jump to:
How to get married in NYC as foreigners in 7 easy steps
1. Check the laws in your home country
There's one very important step to do before you even think about getting married in NYC as foreigners.
Make sure that you check whether your New York marriage certificate will be legally recognized in your respective country.
All it takes is a quick internet search and you’ll have your answer in seconds.
If you miss this step, you risk your marriage not being valid in your home country.
2. Visit Project Cupid
Project Cupid is a branch of the Office of the City Clerk of New York City.
The good news is that there are no special requirements for foreign citizens to get married in NYC. The process is the same for everyone.
On the homepage are various options regarding getting married in NYC.* These include:
- Getting a marriage license (virtual)
- Getting a marriage license (in person)
- Booking the marriage ceremony (in person)
- Domestic partnership registration (in person)
As you can see, you can book an appointment online or in person to get your NYC marriage license.
However, if you want to book a virtual appointment, you both need to physically be in the state of New York.
For the purpose of this guide, I’ll choose ‘how to get a marriage license in person’.
Create your Project Cupid account
Once you’ve selected the option you’re taken to a new webpage. Here, you need to create your Project Cupid account.
- Click on ‘start application now’.
- A new webpage (back on the NYC.gov City Clerk’s website) opens with a button to ‘start application’. There are 6 steps to completing the application. The questions are quite straightforward, and it doesn’t take long to fill out.
- At some point in the process, you’ll be asked to upload a form of official ID (i.e. passport). This will verify your identity online.
- Once completed, you’ll be given your NYC.ID number. Keep this somewhere safe as you’ll need it to book your online appointment.
On step 5 of the form, it will ask you for a ‘mail to’ address for your marriage certificate. If you have relatives or friends in New York, it may be helpful to put their address.
It’s likely to arrive quicker to a NY address than to your overseas one. What's more, your relative/friend can send your certificate via a secure service like DHL.
3. Book your NYC marriage license appointment
With your NYC.ID account details, you can book your online in-person appointment.
Dates for in-person appointment slots are released every Monday at 9am or Thursday at 9am for online appointments.
This is where things can get stressful for couples that want to get married in NYC as foreigners.
For us, we had a proposed wedding date of early November. However, we couldn’t book our marriage license appointment until the second week of October.
This put a hold on all our wedding planning.
Despite only wanting a very small wedding, we still had to make preparations. We had to hold off booking our flights to NYC and booking the restaurant and flowers that we wanted.
4. Attend the marriage license appointment
Once you’ve booked your slot it’s time to attend the appointment.
For Manhattan, the in-person marriage license appointments take place at:
New York City Marriage Bureau 141 Worth St, New York
The location is also the same for couples getting married in New York City Hall.
We arrived 45 minutes before our timeslot just to be sure we weren't late. Once you’ve shown your confirmation and ID to the security guard you go through to join the line.
Like an airport, your belongings are passed through a security check.
At the appointment
The marriage license itself is very straightforward. Our clerk went through our online application, checked our ID and asked us to re-confirm the mailing address.
The last step was to pay the $35 (€32/£28) marriage license fee.
5. Wait for 24 hours
Once you receive your marriage license you must wait at least 24 hours before you can get married.
In our case, we received our license on Monday and were married that Thursday of the same week.
Couples have 60 days to get married in the State of New York and there are no marriage license extensions. If your marriage license expires you must repeat the process again from step 2.
Where to get married in New York City
Your marriage license allows you to get married anywhere in New York City. This includes the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Inform your marriage officiant of the location as soon as you’ve decided.
The beauty of New York City is that you can get married in some of the most iconic spots. Central Park or beneath Brooklyn Bridge are 2 such places that come to mind.
Map of New York City
6. After you get married
Once the ceremony is done and the cake has been cut, the process isn’t yet over. Newly married couples that want to get married in NYC as foreigners must mail their signed marriage license to the City Clerk’s office.
The address is:
Office of the City Clerk
Attention:
Marriage License Returns
141 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
I mailed ours the very next morning in the hope it would lessen the waiting time for our marriage certificate.
How long does it take to get your marriage certificate in New York?
The answer to ‘how long does it take to get your New York marriage certificate’ can vary.
In our case, our marriage certificate arrived around one month after we got married at our NYC address.
Annoyingly, we were none the wiser as we’d already returned to Italy 2 days before it arrived.
I’m certain it would have taken longer to arrive in Italy, but I can’t say how much longer.
Can you get your NYC marriage certificate online?
You can’t request your original New York State marriage certificate online. The City Clerk’s Office will send this to your requested mailing address.
However, you can request additional copies online. Fill out the mail request for marriage records and mail it to:
City Clerk of New York
141 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
Attn: Record Room
How much for additional copies?
For non-US citizens that get married in NYC, one extra copy for use in a foreign territory cost $35 (€32/£28). It costs $30 (€27/£24) for any additional copies.
You can only pay this by money order or certified bank check.
This part of the process can be frustrating for couples that want to get married in NYC as foreigners.
I requested extra copies but had to ask my brother living in New York for assistance. I couldn’t place a money order from Italy, nor could I get a verified bank check to send with my application.
What should have been a simple request turned into a long and drawn-out process.
If possible, ask about obtaining extra copies at your marriage license appointment while you’re still in New York City.
Find your NYC hotel
How to obtain an Apostille
Another thing we didn’t know about getting married in NYC as foreigners was obtaining an Apostille. This certificate verifies that the marriage license is genuine and can be used overseas.
The clerk that issued our marriage license didn’t inform us about this on the day. Instead, we only found out when I requested extra copies of our marriage certificate.
There are 2 ways to obtain an Apostille in New York City:
Visit the New York County Clerk’s Office
Take your marriage certificate/s to the New York City Clerk located in:
Supreme Court Building
60 Centre Street
Notary Desk
Room 141B
New York 10007
It costs $3 (€2.74/£2.37) for this process.
Mail your certificate
Send a money order payable to ‘New York County Clerk’ for $3 to:
New York County Clerk
Attention: Notary Division
60 Centre Street
New York 10007
Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and make sure that your return address is clearly indicated.
One of the most important parts of how to get married in New York as a foreigner make sure to do this before going home.
7. When you’re back home
Check if you need to register your marriage certificate in your home country. Some countries require it, others don’t.
Pros and cons: how to get married in NYC as foreigners
Pros
- The process is straightforward
- It’s cheap
- Getting married in NYC is a memorable experience
Cons
Lack of contact details
There are no contact details for the City Clerk’s Office if you’ve any questions about your marriage license application. I used the online contact form and was lucky to get a response (about 3 weeks later). Having this contact was like finding gold dust, and I made sure not to lose it.
The appointment slots
Having to wait 3 weeks before our desired wedding date to book a marriage license appointment was stressful.
Poor communication
Not knowing about having to obtain an Apostille until after we’d received our marriage certificate was frustrating.
Unless you’re in New York City or have a relative to help it’s another task to add to your list.
What you need to get married in NYC as foreigners
- A valid NYC marriage license
- $35 fee
- Extra tip: ask about obtaining the Apostille at your marriage license appointment
Would I recommend getting married in NYC for non-American couples?
Despite the hiccups, I would still recommend other foreign couples to get married in New York. No process ever runs smoothly, and, in the end, we had a beautiful wedding day.
What are your thoughts on this guide on how to get married in NYC as foreigners? Did you find this guide helpful? Let me know in the comments below.
*information correct at the time of writing
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I’ve recommended. Thank you for your support.
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I did not know that New York City was a destination for marriages! It's interesting to read about the process.
It is 🙂 We had a great experience overall
The outlined 7 steps serve as a practical guide for other international couples considering tying the knot in the Big Apple. The inclusion of pros and cons, along with essential requirements, enhances the post's usefulness, making it a helpful resource for non-Americans planning their NYC wedding.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it
I bet this info will help a lot of people! I enjoyed reading all about the process here!
Thank you I'm glad to read that!
This is something I wouldn't have even thought about how much planning would go into. What a beautiful city to get married in!
It was, and a great experience to have!
Your personal touch, such as suggesting a NY address for the marriage certificate and sharing your own wedding photos, adds a comforting and relatable touch to the process.
Thank you, it was important to share my story
This was interesting. I never thought of how you might have to go about getting married if you wanted to do it in another country.
It was overall a good experience but also a bit stressful