Marriage Licenses

Residents of the state intending to be joined in marriage are required to record notice of their intentions in person (both parties must be present) in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which at least one of them resides. The parties must file the Intentions of Marriage Forms, with their original signatures notarized. Out-of-state residents may file their Intentions in any municipal office.

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Please do not wait until the last minute as it takes approximately 45 minutes to complete the process.  It is strongly recommended to plan ahead  when obtaining a marriage license (both parties must be present) and it is by appointment ONLY. The process may be expedited if you complete the Intentions Form in advance as there is a lot of information that needs to be provided.

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Instruction for Completing Intentions

• Complete every item carefully by typing or neatly printing in BLACK ink only.

• Enter UNKNOWN in box if you do not know a piece of information (such as parent's place of birth)

• Check the boxes and sign the certification portion in the presence of a notary public, municipal clerk or the State Registrar.

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Marriage License Validity

Your marriage license is valid for 90 days and can only be used within the State of Maine. There is no longer a waiting period from the time your marriage license is issued until your wedding can take place. The person performing the ceremony is responsible for filing the marriage certificate with the town office that issued the marriage license.

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**Previous Marriages

If either party has been previously married, the certified document of the divorce decree or death certificate must be presented to the clerk.
If you were divorced outside of the United States:
If your divorce decree is not in English, in addition to providing a certified copy of the original judgment, you must provide a notarized English translation of the judgement, done by a disinterested third party, such as a language translation service.

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Officiants​

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The following individuals are authorized to perform marriages in Maine:

• Ordained ministers of the gospel

• A person licensed to preach by an association of ministers, religious seminary or ecclesiastical body

• Judges or justices (residents of Maine only)

• Lawyers admitted to the Maine Bar (residents of Maine only)

• Maine Licensed Marriage Officiant

Maine does not have Justices of the Peace. Out-of-state Notaries and Justices of the Peace cannot officiate weddings in Maine.

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Fees​

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Marriage License:  $40

Certified Copies - $15 charge per copy for the first copy, and $6 for additional copies.