Marriage Ceremony Formalities in Maine
At a glance
| Who may solemnize | Resident justice/judge, Maine Bar lawyer or licensed marriage officiant; specified clergy regardless of residence; nonresident with temporary certificate (§ 655(1)). |
|---|---|
| Appointment or registration route | Resident age-18+ marriage officiant license under 5 M.R.S. § 90-G; eligible nonresident may obtain couple-specific temporary certificate, ending at signing or 90 days (§ 655(1-A)). |
| License and ceremony timing | Parties deliver completed license to solemnizer; license void if unused within 90 days from filing intentions (§§ 652(3), 656(2)). |
| Required declaration or form | Parties sign license certification statement; §§ 654–656 prescribe no particular spoken vow (§ 656(2)). |
| Attending witnesses | At least two witnesses other than officiant must attend and sign license (§ 656(2)). |
| Religious or self-uniting route | Ordained minister, cleric serving religious body or person licensed to preach may solemnize; §§ 655–656 state no separate party-led procedure (§ 655(1)(B)). |
| Proxy or remote presence | § 656(2) requires solemnization in presence of at least two witnesses; §§ 654–656 state no express proxy or remote route. |
| Who signs the certificate | Both parties sign license certification; officiant and two witnesses sign after solemnization; then license becomes marriage certificate (§ 656(2)). |
| Return recipient and deadline | Parties or solemnizer return license to State Registrar or issuing clerk within 15 working days after ceremony; later filing marked late (§ 654(2)). |
Requirements one by one
Who can solemnize
Resident justices or judges, Maine Bar lawyers and licensed marriage officiants may conduct a ceremony (19-A M.R.S. § 655(1)(A)). Specified ministers and clergy may do so whether or not they reside in Maine (§ 655(1)(B)). An eligible nonresident authorized to perform marriages in another state can seek a temporary certificate (§§ 655(1)(C), 655(1-A)); it covers only the named couple (§ 655(1-A)(C)) and ends when that person signs the license or after 90 days, whichever occurs first (§ 655(1-A)(D)). Resident marriage officiants obtain the secretary of state's license under 5 M.R.S. § 90-G(1); its usual term is seven years (§ 90-G(2)). A commissioned notary receives a coextensive marriage officiant license unless the notary declines in writing (§ 90-G(6)).
License, ceremony and certificate
The couple's marriage license becomes void if unused within 90 days from filing intentions (§ 652(3)). Both parties sign its certification statement, either when issued or at solemnization, and deliver the completed license to the solemnizer. The ceremony must take place with at least two witnesses other than the officiant. The officiant and those two witnesses then sign the license, which becomes the marriage certificate (§ 656(2)).
What trips people up
The license returned must state the marriage date and place, name the two witnesses, and bear the solemnizer's signature (§ 654(3)). The parties or the solemnizer may return it to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or issuing clerk within 15 working days after the ceremony. A later return is marked as a late filing (§ 654(2)).
Common questions
May an out-of-state minister perform the ceremony? Yes. The specified clergy categories in § 655(1)(B) are available to residents and nonresidents. Other eligible nonresidents may seek the temporary certificate in § 655(1-A).
Must witnesses sign? Yes. Section 656(2) requires two attendees besides the officiant, and both witnesses sign the license after solemnization.
Statutes and sources
Current 19-A M.R.S. §§ 652, 654–656 and 5 M.R.S. § 90-G were checked in the official Maine Revisor text on October 4, 2026. Official section pages are linked above.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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