Connecticut Marriage License Application PDF: Appointment and ID

To get a Connecticut marriage license application, both people getting married must appear in person at the town clerk or registrar of vital statistics in the Connecticut town where the ceremony will take place, present photo ID, swear to the information under oath, and pay a $50 fee. Neither of you has to live in Connecticut. There is no waiting period, so the license can be issued and used the same day, and it stays valid for 65 days from the date of application.¹

Where You Apply

Apply at the vital records office in the town where the wedding itself will happen, not the town where either of you lives.¹ If you live in Hartford but plan to marry in Mystic, you apply in Mystic. The license is only valid within Connecticut and only for a ceremony in that same town.

Most town clerks post the application as a downloadable PDF on their municipal website. The state controls what information the form collects, but each town produces its own version, so pull the form from the specific town hosting your ceremony. If you cannot find it online, call the town clerk and ask them to email or mail it. Some towns offer an online portal where you can enter your information before you come in.

If you fill out the PDF at home, do not sign it. The signatures have to happen in front of the registrar, and a form pre-signed at the kitchen table is not valid.

Who Can Sign the Application

Four eligibility rules control who may marry in Connecticut:²

Both applicants must be at least 18. Connecticut allows no exceptions, so parental consent or a court order cannot lower the age.
Neither of you can already be married or in a legal relationship that carries substantially the same rights, unless you are marrying that same person.
A person under the supervision or control of a conservator generally cannot marry, with limited exceptions.
Marriages between close relatives are prohibited under separate state law.

What the Form Asks For

State law requires each applicant to provide the following on the license form:³

Full legal name, exactly as it appears on your government-issued ID.
Age.
Birthplace, meaning the city and state or country where you were born.
Current home address.
Marital status: single, widowed, or divorced.
Whether you are under the supervision or control of a conservator or guardian.
Social Security number, which is recorded in the administrative portion of the license and not printed on the public certificate.

Many town forms also collect the ceremony date, the ceremony location, and the officiant’s name and contact information. Have those details in hand before you fill anything out.

What to Bring to the Appointment

Bring valid, government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth, your signature, and an expiration date. A driver’s license or a passport works. If you do not have photo ID, some towns will accept two utility bills as proof of address, but call ahead to confirm what the office you are using will take.⁴

If you were married before, bring proof that the prior marriage ended. A certified divorce decree or a death certificate for a deceased spouse satisfies this, and the registrar will want to see it before issuing the license.³

Bring $50 in a form the office accepts.⁵ Some offices take only cash or checks; others accept cards. Confirm when you schedule.

The In-Person Appointment

Both applicants have to appear in person before the registrar. You cannot send a friend, a parent, or an attorney, and you cannot handle this step by mail.³ The statute does let each applicant sign on a different date if necessary, and the later date becomes the official application date.

At the appointment, the registrar reviews your ID, checks your information, and administers an oath. You each swear the information is true and sign the license in front of the registrar. Once certified, the license is usually handed over on the spot. When your paperwork is in order, the visit is quick.

How Long the License Lasts

The license is valid for 65 days from the date of application, not the date of the ceremony or the date you pick it up.¹ Sign on March 1 and the ceremony must happen on or before May 5. If the 65 days pass with no wedding, the license expires and you start over, fee included. Connecticut has no waiting period, so the earliest ceremony date is the same day the license is issued.

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

Connecticut law authorizes these people to officiate:⁶

All judges and retired judges, including federal judges and judges from other states who are legally authorized to perform marriages in their own jurisdictions.
Family support magistrates, family support referees, state referees, and justices of the peace appointed in Connecticut.
Any ordained or licensed member of the clergy from Connecticut or any other state.

Marriages performed according to the customs of a religious denomination are also valid. A marriage performed by anyone outside this list is void under state law, so confirm your officiant’s qualifications before the ceremony.

After the Wedding

Your officiant completes the license by certifying the date, time, and place of the marriage, and then returns it to the registrar in the town where the wedding took place. This has to happen before or during the first week of the month following the ceremony.⁷ If your officiant misses that deadline, they face a fine and you may have trouble proving the marriage until the filing goes through, so follow up.

Once filed, the license becomes a permanent record. Order certified copies from the town where you married or from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.⁴ You will need them for name changes, insurance updates, and other legal purposes. Certified copies are typically $20 each.

Changing Your Name

Getting married does not automatically change your legal name. If you plan to take your spouse’s surname or hyphenate, start with the Social Security Administration, because most other agencies want your Social Security card to match the new name before they will update anything on their end. You can begin online or by scheduling an appointment at a local office, and a replacement card usually arrives in five to ten business days.⁸

After Social Security, use your certified marriage certificate and updated card to change your driver’s license at the DMV, then work through banks, employers, and insurers. The certified certificate is the document that carries you through all of it, which is why buying a few extra copies from the town clerk is worth the small added cost.

1
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-24 – License. Period of Validity
2
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-20a – Eligibility to Marry
3
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-25 – Application for License
4
Connecticut Department of Public Health. License to Get Married
5
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 7-73 – Fees for Marriage License, Burial or Removal, Transit and Burial Permit. Marriage License Surcharge
6
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-22 – Who May Join Persons in Marriage
7
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-34 – Certificate of Marriage. Penalty for Failure to Return Certificate
8
Social Security Administration. Change Name With Social Security