Paperwork Process in New Jersey

Official information about the marriage license process and additional resources can be found at the link to the NJ Dept of Health below. 

 Within 6 months of your wedding date you will want to contact your town clerk (or possibly registrar or Dept. of Health) and schedule an appointment to apply for your marriage license. You and your fiancé, along with a witness over the age of 18, will need to go to this appointment . Everyone will need ID, at least one of you will have to show residency in the municipality that you're applying in. Always check with your town clerk on appropriate documentation needed to apply.

There is a 72 hour waiting period in the state of NJ. After 72 hours you can pick up copies of your marriage certificates from the town clerk. Marriage certificates are only good for 30 days from being issued so you’ll want to pick it up within a week or so of your wedding date. You will be picking up 4 copies of the marriage certificate. These are what the officiant and 2 witnesses will sign on the day of your wedding. After being signed, copy #4 is for the officiant’s records, #3 is for the couple  and copies #1 and #2 will get filed with the town clerk of the municipality you were married. I will either mail or deliver your certificates to the town clerk on the following business day. If I mail them it will be via certified mail and I'll provide you with the tracking number, it normally takes 2 days to be delivered.

Once they are filed you will be able to get certified copies of your license. These are obtained by making a Vital Records Request with the town clerk for the municipality you were married in (you can. You can often find the correct form on the town's website. Different towns have different costs for copies, often around $10. The municipality has 10 business days to produce the certified copy.

Certified copies are most often needed for name changes and changes to health and life insurance. The state of NJ only requires employers to give 30 days to apply for insurance changes after the wedding date. Many offer 60 days. You will both want to check with your human resources dept to see about the process of either adding your new spouse to your plan or canceling your plan if you’re switching.