Bristol Marriage License, NH
Local Officiants
Town of Bristol
Marriage License Requirements
Marriage License Fee: $50.00
230 Lake Street
Bristol, NH 03222
Ph:(603) 744-3354
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. / M, Tu, W, F; 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. / Th
(except for Court Approved Holidays)
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Marriage Intentions:
Any couple, regardless of gender, wishing to get married may apply for a marriage license at any City/Town Clerk’s Office in the State of New Hampshire. This includes out-of-state residents.
Filing Intentions:
- Both parties must appear in person to file marriage intentions, as the signature of each applicant is required. However, if either party (or both) is a member of the armed forces, he or she shall forward an affidavit of marriage intentions, prepared by the armed services legal representative, to the clerk if he or she can not appear in person.
- All personal facts relative to both prospective spouses and the parents of each shall be entered accurately on the application. Errors of falsification of any fact can cause great hardship to you at a later date and may make you liable for criminal prosecution
- Once the marriage license is issued, the couple is free to marry within any City/Town in the State of New Hampshire.
- The marriage license fee is set by RSA 457:29 and payable to the clerk at the time the intentions are filed. Currently, the marriage license fee in the State of New Hampshire is $50. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead.
- Certified copies of the marriage certificate can be obtained for a fee from the City/Town Clerk where the license was filed.
Marriage ID Requirement in NH:
The applicants shall supply to the clerk, prior to the issuance of the marriage license, the following documents:
- Proof of age (example – driver’s license, passport, certified birth certificate)
- Photo identification (example – driver’s license or passport)
- Certified copy of a final divorce decree, if either applicant is divorced.
- Certified copy of a civil annulment decree, if the applicant’s previous marriage was annulled (This is a court document).
- Certified copy of a death certificate of a former spouse, if either applicant is widowed.
Prior to issuing a marriage license, the clerk shall supply the following brochures to the applicants:
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Brochure
- List of Family Planning Services
- AIDS Brochure — Now That You’ve Decided to Get Married. (RSA 457:23,111, requires the signatures of both prospective spouses on an affidavit located on the back of the license acknowledging that they have received and discussed the AIDS brochure.)
Marriage Blood Test NH:
No. Blood tests are not required to obtain a marriage license in New Hampshire.
Marriage Residency Requirement:
You do not have to be a resident of New Hampshire.
Marriage Waiting Period in NH:
No. There is no waiting period in New Hampshire.
Marriage License Fee NH:
The fee for a marriage license in Bristol, NH is $50. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead.
Name Change:
Getting a marriage license with your new name on it does not mean your name has automatically changed. If you need to change your last name, you can use an online marriage name change kit.
Marriage Age Requirements:
- A male or female who has reached the age of 18 can marry without parental permission.
- A female between the age of 13 and 17 years and a male between the age of 14 and 17 years can be married only with the permission of their parent (guardian) and a waiver.
- A female below the age of 13 and a male below the age of 14 are not allowed to marry under any condition.
- Age waivers are not allowed for same gender marriages.
The above laws on age apply to NH residents or to non-residents who desire to marry NH residents. If both parties are non-residents and are below the age of 18 they cannot be married in NH under any condition.
Waivers:
When “good/special” cause is shown, waivers may be obtained which can alter certain requirements. Applications are made to the Hillsborough County Superior Court, 30 Spring Street, Nashua, NH 03060. Fees apply.
Age waiver
When either of the applicants is not yet 18 years of age but meets the minimum age requirement (female 13-17 and male 14-17) he/she may request permission to marry from a justice of the superior court of the county in which one of the applicants resides.
- The request shall be in writing and the parents or guardian of the applicant shall join in the request.
- The applicant requesting the age waiver shall be a resident of this state or marrying a resident of this state.
- No age waiver shall be granted to persons below the age of consent (18) if both parties are nonresidents.
- No age waivers shall be granted for same gender marriages.
Proxy Marriages:
No. Proxy marriage is not permitted in New Hampshire, so no other party may apply on behalf of either spouse.
Cousin Marriages:
No. Marriage is not permitted in New Hampshire between people who are related by blood as first cousins or in any more direct lineage.
Common Law Marriages:
No. Common law marriages are only recognized in New Hampshire at death for estate/inheritance purposes. (N.H. RSA. 457:39)
The prospective couple will need to produce any necessary documentation such as previous dissolutions or divorces. Both parties in a same-gender marriage must be 18 years of age and there are no age waivers allowed. Out-of-state residents need to be aware that a marriage of two persons of the same gender, performed in New Hampshire, may not be recognized by their state of residence. Applicants are encouraged to review the laws of their home state and/or the laws of a state they intend to move to.
Solemnization:
In New Hampshire, marriages may be performed by:
- A Justice of the Peace commissioned in NH
- A minister of the gospel in NH who has been ordained according to the usage of his denomination, resides in NH, and is in regular standing with the denomination
- A minister within his parish, residing outside NH, but having a pastoral charge wholly or partly in NH
- Jewish rabbis who are citizens of the United States and reside in this state
- Quakers
- A deacon in the Roman Catholic Church ordained according to the usage of his denomination
- Judges of the United States, a US magistrate judge residing in this state pursuant to federal law, clergymen who are not ordained and non-resident Justices of the Peace, ministers or Jewish rabbis, after being licensed by the Secretary of State.
Ceremony:
After the ceremony, it is your officiate’s responsibility to ensure that the completed license is returned to the City/Town Clerk’s Office that you applied with. It will then take approximately 10-14 days for the information to be updated in the vital records system. Please note that out of state officiates will be required to obtain a Special License. For more information about the Special day license, please contact the Secretary of State’s office at 603.271.3242.
Uniform Marriage Recognition:
Residents. If any person residing and intending to continue to reside in this state is prohibited from contracting marriage under the laws of this state and goes into another jurisdiction and there contracts a marriage prohibited and declared void by the laws of this state, such marriage shall be null and void for all purposes in this state, with the same effect as though such prohibited marriage had been entered into in this state.
Nonresidents. No marriage shall be contracted in this state by a party residing and intending to continue to reside in another jurisdiction if such marriage would be voided if contracted in such other jurisdiction, and every marriage contracted in this state in violation hereof shall be null and void.
Expiration Date of Marriage License:
- A City/Town Clerk may issue a marriage license to the applicants the same day of the application, provided all signatures and statutory requirements are met (i.e. proof of divorce or death of previous marriage). The license shall be valid for a period of not less than 3 days and not more than 90 days from the date of filing. The marriage license should clearly state the date the license becomes valid as well as the date of expiration. The officiant shall make note of these dates and under no circumstances shall the couple be married before the
valid date or after the expiration date - On application to a justice of the superior court, or a judge of probate within the county where the proposed marriage is to be solemnized, the court for good cause may order the validation date to be shortened.
Copy of Certificate of Marriage:
Bureau of Vital Records
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
Ph: 603.271.4651
Please Note: State and county marriage license requirements often change. The above information is for guidance only and should not be regarded as legal advice. Additional information can be found on the New Hampshire Secretary of State website.