Marriage Ceremony Formalities in New Hampshire
At a glance
| Who may solemnize | Commissioned justices of peace, specified state/federal judges, qualified resident clergy, parish minister from out of state, and special-license officiants (§§ 457:31–:32-b). |
|---|---|
| Appointment or registration route | SOS special licenses for out-of-state ministers/authorized officiants; $85 special marriage officiant registration authorizes one designated civil marriage (§§ 457:32, :32-b). |
| License and ceremony timing | Parties deliver town/city license to officiant before ceremony; license valid no more than 90 days from filing (§ 457:26). |
| Required declaration or form | §§ 457:31–32-b define civil/religious solemnizers but prescribe no set words or declaration. |
| Attending witnesses | Ceremony and marriage-record sections state no numeric witness requirement (§§ 457:31–32-b; 5-C:41). |
| Religious or self-uniting route | Resident rabbis and Friends/Quakers may solemnize in their customary way; resident unordained clergy may seek SOS license (§§ 457:31-a–b). |
| Proxy or remote presence | Magistrate or minister of religion may not solemnize by proxy (§ 457:8); no express remote-ceremony route in §§ 457:31–32-b. |
| Who signs the certificate | Marriage license/certificate completed by both applicants, officiant and town/city clerk; officiant records and signs post-ceremony certification (§ 5-C:41(I), (XIV), (XVI)). |
| Return recipient and deadline | Performer certifies fact of marriage and returns record by mail or in person to issuing town/city clerk within six days (§ 5-C:49(I)). |
Requirements one by one
Civil, religious and special officiants
RSA 457:31 authorizes commissioned justices of the peace, named state and federal judges, qualified resident ordained clergy, licensed resident unordained clergy, and an out-of-state minister serving a New Hampshire parish. Resident unordained clergy may obtain a secretary of state license on certification from their religious body (§ 457:31-a). The secretary may also issue a couple-specific special license to qualifying out-of-state ministers or officiants (§ 457:32), or register an individual for one designated civil marriage under the $85 special officiant route (§ 457:32-b).
License and religious custom
The couple delivers the town or city license to the officiant before solemnization; it remains valid no more than 90 days from filing (§ 457:26). Resident Jewish rabbis and Friends or Quakers retain their customary ways of solemnizing (§ 457:31-b).
Certificate and filing
The marriage license becomes the official marriage certificate when registered. It is completed by the applicants, officiant and town or city clerk (§ 5-C:41(I)); after the ceremony, the officiant records and signs the certification (§ 5-C:41(XIV)), and the clerk's signature is also required (§ 5-C:41(XVI)). The performer certifies the marriage and returns the record to the issuing town or city clerk within six days (§ 5-C:49(I)).
What trips people up
No magistrate or minister of religion may solemnize a marriage by proxy (§ 457:8). The special officiant license is restricted to the one civil marriage designated on its registration, and its authority expires with the corresponding marriage license (§ 457:32-b(II)).
The officiant must report the ceremony even if the applicants later ask for it not to be reported; the marriage date remains the ceremony date (§ 5-C:49(VI)). A person may not sign as the officiant at that person's own marriage (§ 5-C:49(II)).
Common questions
Do Friends or Quakers need a specified statutory script? No script is specified; § 457:31-b preserves their customary way of solemnizing.
Are attending witness signatures required by the certificate statute? RSA 5-C:41 describes the applicants, officiant and clerk completing the license; it states no numeric ceremony-witness or witness-signature requirement.
Statutes and sources
Current RSA 457:8, :26, :31–:32-b and 5-C:41, :49 were checked in the official New Hampshire code on October 4, 2026. The source entries link the focused section pages.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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