Marriage Licenses & Certificates
Marriage Licenses
Where do I obtain a Marriage License?
- If both the Bride and Groom are residents of the same Town, a marriage license must be obtained in the Town where both of them live. After obtaining a marriage license, the Bride and Groom are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine.
- If the Bride resides in one Town, and the Groom resides in another, a marriage license may be obtained from either Town, but not both. Choose where it is most convenient to obtain a certified copy of the marriage at a later date. After obtaining a license, the Bride and Groom are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine.
- If one person resides in the State of Maine, and the other person outside the State, then a marriage license must be obtained in the Town where the Maine resident lives if they intend to be married in the State of Maine. After obtaining a marriage license, the Bride and Groom are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine.
- If both the Bride and Groom live outside the State of Maine, a marriage license can be obtained in any Town in the State of Maine. After obtaining a license, the Bride and Groom are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine. It is strongly suggested that the marriage license is obtained in the Town where the marriage will take place so that it will be easy to remember where to apply for a marriage certificate at a later date.
When the Town Clerk completes the marriage license, the Bride and Groom will be given the license along with a packet of information explaining to the person performing the ceremony how to fill out the ceremony section of the marriage license. The marriage license and informational sheets should be presented to the person performing the wedding ceremony (pastor, notary public, etc.). That person is responsible for filling out the ceremony section of the marriage license and obtaining two witness signatures. They are also responsible for mailing the marriage license back to the issuing Town Clerk within 7 days of the wedding ceremony. The Bride and Groom are not permitted to submit the marriage license to the Town Clerk after the wedding ceremony.
Marriage Certificates
Once the wedding ceremony is complete, and the Town Clerk receives the marriage license back at the Town Office, the Town Clerk records the marriage and the license/certificate of marriage will be filed at the Town Office forever. After the license is recorded, the bride and groom may obtain a Certificate of Marriage from the Office of the Town Clerk.
The cost for a Certificate of Marriage is $10.00 for the first copy, and $5.00 for any additional copies of the same record purchased at the same time.
The Certificate of Marriage is needed for a name change on a driver's license, bank account, social security card, etc.
Please note that the Town Clerk does not automatically mail the certificate of marriage. It is the bride and groom's responsibility to appear before the Town Clerk to fill out an application and pay the fee to obtain the marriage certificate.
In order to obtain a marriage certificate through the mail, the applicant needs to fill out a vital records search application. The application, along with the fee and a self-addressed, stamped envelope should be mailed to the Town Clerk at PO Box 149, Fairfield, ME 04937-0149. The request will be processed the same day it is received.