Marriage Licenses

Applying for a Marriage License?
 

You may apply for a Marriage License at any Town (or City) Clerk's Office in Massachusetts, however, the town or city that you apply is where your license will be kept on file and where you will return for certified (official) copies after you are married.

The Marriage License is valid for 60 days after the date of application.
 
Both parties must appear at the Clerk's Office to fill out the paperwork together, must be 18 years of age or older, and must bring valid proof of identification. 
 
The fee for a Marriage License in Lynnfield is $25.00 and includes one certified copy of the Marriage Certificate, which is mailed to the couple after the license is returned to the Town Clerk's Office.
 
Waiting Period
 
There is a mandatory three day waiting period from the date of application to the date the license is issued. Sundays and holidays are included in the three days, however, the day the application is made is not. The license cannot be picked up on Saturday or Sunday at the Town Clerk's Office because Town Hall is closed on the weekends. It is possible to obtain a waiver through the probate or district court to waive the three-day waiting period.  After a hearing, the court may issue a certificate allowing the marriage license to be issued (which must be brought back to the Town Clerk), who will then issue your marriage license. At that point, the marriage may then performed without delay.
 
 
After the Three-Day Waiting Period Has Passed
 
Prior to the ceremony, the marriage license will need to be picked up in person. The either party or a person designated (in writing) by the couple may pick up the license. Whomever picks up the license must verify that all of the information on the license is correct. We do not mail marriage certificates prior to the ceremony.
 
The license must be picked up before your marriage ceremony; the person performing the marriage may not legally marry you without this important document.

 
Changing Your Name After Marriage
 
Social Security Administration 
 
Area SSA offices:
140 Union Street, Lynn / 800-772-1213
10 Federal Street, Suite 406, Salem / 800-772-1213
367 Main Street, Haverhill / 866-964-4324
10 Causeway Street, Room 135, Boston / 800-772-1213
 
Before you can change your driver’s license, you must first make the change with Social Security Administration
 
MA Driver’s License 
 
You must change your name on your license or identification card at any of the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Massachusetts. For more information, click here.

 
 
Should you need additional certified copies of your marriage license, they can be obtained from the Town Clerk's Office for $10 a copy.