Getting married in New York: a 24-hour wait after the license, and City Hall ceremonies are capped at 6 people including the couple
At a City Hall ceremony run by the Office of the City Clerk in New York City, no more than 6 people can attend, counting the couple and witnesses. After you get the Marriage License, you must wait a full 24 hours before the ceremony; the license is generally valid for 60 days and can be used anywhere in New York State.
The license fee is US$35 and a City Hall ceremony is US$25, and both must be booked in advance through Project Cupid, with no walk-ins. You get the marriage certificate on the day of the ceremony; for use by foreign authorities, apply separately for an extended certificate. Documents issued in New York State are authenticated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York.
Book through Project Cupid first
- The New York City Clerk's marriage services are by appointment only; there are no walk-ins.
- You can book the license at the City Clerk's office in any of the five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island), or book a video appointment for the license.
- An application filled in online expires if it isn't completed within 21 days.
- Book the City Hall ceremony separately, at nyc.gov/cupid or by calling 311 (212-639-9675 from outside the city).
There is no legal term in the US equivalent to Taiwan's "notarized marriage". A ceremony performed by a clerk at the City Clerk's office is called a civil ceremony, also often called a courthouse wedding; it has the same legal effect as a ceremony held anywhere else, and what makes the marriage valid is that the license is signed and returned on time.
What to bring to apply for the license
- Both of you must be at least 18.
- Each of you needs one valid ID; expired IDs are not accepted. The IDs NYC311 lists: driver's license, non-driver ID, New York State learner permit, IDNYC, US military ID, valid passport, US naturalization certificate issued within the last 10 years, green card with an expiration date, and employment authorization card.
- The fee is US$35, paid by credit card, debit card, or money order payable to the City Clerk; cash and personal checks are not accepted.
A Taiwanese passport works as long as it is valid. The NYC311 page doesn't cover divorce documents from a previous marriage or translations of foreign-language documents, so confirm when you book; for other points for foreigners marrying in the US, see foreigners marrying in the US.
24 hours, 60 days, 5 business days
- 24 hours: you must wait at least 24 hours after getting the license before the ceremony. To hold it sooner, you can ask a judge for a Judicial Waiver, issued free of charge by the County Clerk.
- 60 days: the license is generally valid for 60 days; 180 days for active-duty military.
- 5 business days: after the ceremony, the Marriage Officiant, the couple and the witness sign the license, and the officiant must return it to the issuing borough's City Clerk office within 5 business days.
About 20 days after the ceremony, a Certificate of Marriage Registration is mailed to you. For a comparison of waiting periods and deadlines across states, see the official rules checked for 9 states; for what happens when witness signatures or the return go wrong, see a signature in the wrong box can send the whole license back.
The day of a City Hall ceremony
- The City Clerk's offices in all five boroughs perform ceremonies; arrive between 8:30 and 15:15, Monday to Friday.
- The fee is US$25, with the same payment methods as the license.
- Bring your New York State marriage license and at least 1 witness aged 18 or older.
- The couple and the witness must each bring the same kind of photo ID used for the license.
- No more than 6 people can attend, counting the couple and the witness.
- You get the marriage certificate on the day the ceremony is completed.
The 6-person limit applies only to City Hall ceremonies. For a larger wedding in a New York City park, you need a separate site permit; see a wedding in a park or on a beach needs its own site permit.
Certified copies: short and extended
For marriages in New York City's five boroughs, copies of the marriage record are requested from the Office of the City Clerk (NYC311):
- Short certificate, for domestic use: US$15 for the first copy, US$10 for each additional copy.
- Extended certificate, for use abroad: US$35 for the first copy, US$30 for each additional copy.
- Both include the search, certification, hand signature and embossed seal.
- In person, you must book through Project Cupid first, and you get it the same day if your documents are complete; by mail, send to the Record Room at 141 Worth Street, which takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
- Records less than 50 years old can be requested only by the couple themselves or in cases such as someone holding a notarized authorization from the couple.
- If you married in New York State outside New York City, NYC311 says to apply through VitalChek instead.
Registering in Taiwan requires authentication, which uses up one copy, so order several at once (item 10 of the checklist). We couldn't open TECO in New York's information page this time, so confirm with the office before you send whether it accepts the short or the extended certificate. For how to request copies in general, see certified copies of the marriage certificate.
Outside New York City, and TECO in New York
- A New York State marriage license can be used anywhere in the state, but town and city clerks outside New York City each set their own fees and appointment rules. The New York State Department of Health's official page returned a 403 both times we tried, so it is not cited; go by each town or city clerk's website.
- Documents issued in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut are authenticated by TECO in New York (jurisdiction table from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, checked 2026-10-22); for fees and processing times, go by the office's website.
- The office doesn't translate documents, so you prepare the Chinese translation yourself; see translating the marriage certificate into Chinese.
For the full steps to register in Taiwan, see registering a US marriage in Taiwan in five steps; for a comparison of offices, see which TECO office to send your marriage certificate to.
Common questions
How much does a New York City Hall wedding cost?
According to NYC311, the marriage license is US$35 and a ceremony at the City Clerk's office is US$25, US$60 in total; cards or money orders only.
Can we marry in New York on the day we get the license?
No. New York requires you to wait at least 24 hours after getting the license before the ceremony; to hold it sooner, you have to ask a judge for a Judicial Waiver.
How many people can we bring to a New York City Hall ceremony?
No more than 6 people can attend, counting the couple and the witnesses; you need at least 1 witness, aged 18 or older.
Which kind of copy should we request to register in Taiwan?
The New York City Clerk lists the extended certificate as the one for use abroad, US$35 for the first copy; confirm with TECO in New York which kind it accepts before you send it.
The 24 hours, 60 days, 5 business days, certified copies and registering in Taiwan are all on the timeline in the My Wedding Plan checklist: confirming the recording is item 9, certified copies item 10, and registering in Taiwan item 15. The checklist has a free version, and you can start without giving an email address.
Sources (checked 2026-10-26)
Fees and procedures in this article follow the official pages of NYC311 (New York City government) and the Office of the City Clerk; the New York State Department of Health website (health.ny.gov) returned a 403 this time, so it is not cited.
- NYC311: Marriage License (checked 2026-10-26)
- NYC311: Marriage Ceremony (checked 2026-10-26)
- NYC311: Marriage Record (checked 2026-10-26)
- Office of the New York City Clerk: Get Married (checked 2026-10-26)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States: Office jurisdictions (checked 2026-10-22)