FAQs
Who May Be Married in Vermont?
Do We Need a Marriage License?
Do We Need Blood Test?
Where Do We Get a Marriage License?
What if we are not Vermont Residents?
How Much Does a Vermont Marriage License Cost?
Are There Any Other Marriage Restrictions?
What Information Do We Need to Purchase a Marriage License in Vermont?
What Statistical Information Will I Need to Provide?
What if either of us has been married before, or joined by a Civil Union?
Can a marriage license be issued through the mail?
Can we be married by proxy?
Is there a waiting period?
Where can we get married?
Who may marry us?
What do we do with the License?
Do we need witnesses?
What happens to the license after the ceremony?
How do we get a copy of our Marriage Certificate?
Who May Be Married in Vermont?
Two people who are each at least 18 years old may marry in Vermont. If you are at least 16, but under 18, you will need the consent of a parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian should accompany you to the town clerk's office to sign an affidavit giving you permission to marry. The affidavit is on the back of the marriage license and is a legal part of the license. If one or both of you are under the age of 16 and a Vermont resident, you may not be married in the state of Vermont unless you first furnish the town clerk with a certificate from a probate, district or superior court judge of the district or county in which the under-age person resides. If the under-age person is not a Vermont resident, you must furnish the town clerk with a certificate from the judge of the district or county in which the marriage will take place. By Vermont law, no one under the age of 14 may marry in Vermont. [top]
Do We Need a Marriage License?
Yes. Before your ceremony, you will need to purchase a Vermont marriage license. It must be presented to the officiant before your marriage is performed. While your license may be purchased up to two months before your ceremony, it "becomes void after sixty days from the date of issue if proposed marriage is not solemnized." [top]
No. [top]
Where Do We Get a Marriage License?
If both people are Vermont residents, you may go to the town clerks office in either of your towns of residence. If just one of you is a resident, you must go to the clerk of the town where the one resident currently lives. [top]
What if we are not Vermont Residents?
First, decide where in Vermont you want to be married. Any town clerk in the state can issue the license. [top]
How Much Does a Vermont Marriage License Cost?
A Vermont marriage license costs $45 plus an additional $10 for a certified copy. [top]
Are There Any Other Marriage Restrictions?
Anyone under guardianship may not marry without the guardian's written consent. Vermont also does not allow marriage between close relatives. You cannot marry your mother, father, grandparent, sister, brother, grandchild, niece, nephew, aunt, or uncle. First cousins who are Vermont residents or residents of another state where marriage between first cousins is allowed may marry each other in Vermont. You cannot marry in Vermont to evade the laws of the state where you live. You cannot marry if either of you is currently married to someone else. The law requires that both parties be of sound mind. [top]
What Information Do We Need to Purchase a Marriage License in Vermont?
To find out marriage license requirements for the town in which you are marrying, contact the local town clerk.
You must know your legal town of residence and your place and date of birth; you will also need to know your parents' names including your mother's maiden name, and the states where your parents were born. (A certified copy of your birth certificate can supply most of this information.) Vermont laws requires that at least one of you must sign in the presence of the town clerk, certifying that all facts are correct; however, most town clerks prefer to see both of you in person before issuing your license to marry, as the law requires that they satisfy themselves that you are both free to marry under Vermont Laws. They legally ask to see documented proof of your statements, for example birth certificates, divorce decrees, etc. [top]
What Statistical Information Will I Need to Provide?
You will need to provide information about your race, the highest grade you completed in school, the number of times you have been married and how your previous marriage(s), if any, ended. This information does not become part of the marriage certificate. [top]
What if either of us has been married before or joined by a Civil Union?
If you are a widow or widower, you are free to marry. You will be asked the date your spouse died. If you are divorced, you may remarry after the date on which your previous marriage is dissolved. Those previously joined by a Civil Union do not require a dissolution to be joined together in Civil Marriage. [top]
Can a marriage license be issued through the mail?
No. [top]
No. [top]
No. [top]
A Vermont License is valid only for a marriage performed in Vermont. You may be married anywhere in the state. [top]
A judge, supreme court justice, assistant judge, justice of the peace, or an ordained or licensed minister, rabbi or priest residing in Vermont or Authorized by their denomination may perform your ceremony. A priest, rabbi, or minister from another state may perform your ceremony if he or she obtains a special authorization from a probate court in the district where the marriage will take place. [top]
What do we do with the License?
By law, you must deliver the license to the person who will conduct your wedding ceremony before the marriage can be performed. [top]
Vermont law does not require witnesses. If you are planning a religious ceremony, check with your church or synagogue to see if religious tenets require witnesses for your marriage. [top]
What happens to the license after the ceremony?
After the ceremony, the person who performs the ceremony (officiant) will complete the sections concerning the date, place and officiant information, and sign your license. It must then be returned by the officiant to the town clerk's office where it was issued within ten (10) days, so that you marriage may be officially registered. It is not a complete legal document, useful for passports, Social Security, etc., until it has been recorded in the town clerk's office where it was purchased. [top]
How do we get a copy of our Marriage Certificate?
There are two ways to get a copy of your marriage certificate:
1. When you purchase your license, you may arrange with the town clerk to mail you a certified copy of your certificate as soon as your marriage is recorded. The cost will be $30 ($23 for the license and $7 for the certified copy).
2. Two weeks or more after the ceremony, you may request, in person or in writing, a copy from the town clerk's office where you purchased your license; or six or more weeks after the ceremony, you may request in person or in writing, a certified copy form the Vermont Department of Health, Vital records Unit, 108 Cherry Street, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, Vermont 05402. Either way, the fee is $7, and you will receive a copy of the original certificate, embossed with the town or state seal and signed and dated by the appropriate official. These certified copies are accepted for all legal purposes. [top]
For more information on having your wedding in Vermont, please visit the Vermont Secretary of State’s Website.
