Marriage Ceremony Formalities in North Dakota
At a glance
| Who may solemnize | Judges of record, municipal judges, county recorders or designated officials, authorized clergy and persons authorized by religious rituals (§ 14-03-09). |
|---|---|
| Appointment or registration route | § 14-03-09 recognizes religious authorization and gives no separate temporary state appointment procedure. |
| License and ceremony timing | Parties produce regularly issued license dated no more than 60 days before marriage (§ 14-03-10). |
| Required declaration or form | §§ 14-03-09 and -20 state no prescribed spoken words; solemnizer certifies the parties were joined. |
| Attending witnesses | Two witnesses to the marriage sign the certificate (§ 14-03-20). |
| Religious or self-uniting route | Clergy authorized by recognized denominations or individual authorized by a religious persuasion's rituals may solemnize (§ 14-03-09). |
| Proxy or remote presence | Cited ceremony and certificate provisions state no express proxy or remote-ceremony procedure (§§ 14-03-09, -10, -20). |
| Who signs the certificate | Two marriage witnesses and solemnizer sign certificate; it states each party's name before and after marriage (§ 14-03-20). |
| Return recipient and deadline | Solemnizer returns original license/certificate to issuing official within five days; duplicate goes immediately to couple (§ 14-03-21). |
Requirements one by one
Who may solemnize and when
Judges of courts of record, municipal judges, recorders or officials designated in their place, clergy authorized by recognized denominations, and persons authorized by a religious persuasion's rituals and practices may solemnize marriages anywhere in North Dakota (N.D.C.C. § 14-03-09). The parties must produce a regularly issued marriage license dated no more than 60 days before the marriage (§ 14-03-10).
Certificate and return
The license and certificate are on a duplicate form (§ 14-03-20). The certificate gives both parties' names before and after marriage and bears the signatures of two witnesses to the marriage and the solemnizer (§ 14-03-20). The solemnizer fills out and signs the certificate, returns the original certificate and license to the official who issued the license within five days, and immediately gives the duplicate to the couple (§ 14-03-21).
What trips people up
The certificate identifies the solemnizer's official title, or for a minister or priest, the ecclesiastical body with which that person is connected (§ 14-03-21). The issuing official keeps the returned original as an official record.
Common questions
May someone authorized by a religious group's rituals perform the ceremony? Yes. Section 14-03-09 separately recognizes an individual authorized by the rituals and practices of a religious persuasion.
Do both witnesses sign? Yes. Section 14-03-20 requires their signatures in addition to the solemnizer's signature.
Does the couple keep a copy? Yes. The solemnizer gives the duplicate certificate and license to the married persons immediately (§ 14-03-21).
Statutes and sources
- N.D.C.C. §§ 14-03-09, -10, -20 and -21. Verbatim excerpts, the official chapter PDF URL and the access date appear in the source fields above.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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