Marriage Intention and License
Can apply Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Town Hall is closed on Friday.
Restrictions are: Party A and Party B must appear and apply together. Legal forms must be filled out in the Town Clerk's Office and cannot leave the premises. There is a three-day waiting period, not counting the day you apply, but weekends are included in this time period.
In cases where Party A and Party B want to be married on the same day they apply for a marriage license, Party A and Party B would need to appear before a Judge at the Wareham Fourth District Court and apply for a waiver. The fee for this Court waiver is $195, payable to the Court. This waiver does not include the fee for filing a marriage intention, which is $25.00.
Marriage certificates are valid for 60 days (including the day you apply). Once the ceremony is performed, certified copy(s) of the marriage license are not included in the filing fee.
Should Party A or Party B decide to withdraw within the three (3) day waiting period, they would have to submit a notarized letter to the Town Clerk in making this request.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES
Public record, with the exception of restricted records (Party A's or Party B's parents were not married at the time of birth). Copies only to Party A or Party B with a valid Mass Picture Identification. Otherwise, copies can be obtained once the certificate is received from the Clergy or Justice of the Peace and recorded with the town. Marriage license should not be returned to the Clerk's Office by anyone other than Clergy or Justices of the Peace. All copies of the marriage license contain the True Copy Attest and the Town Seal to authenticate the document.
FYI: THE EXPIRATION DATE IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE MARRIAGE LICENSE INDICATES THE VALIDATION DATE OF THE LICENSE FOR PARTY A AND PARTY B TO BE MARRIED (SIXTY DAYS FROM THE DAY YOU APPLY, YOU MUST MARRY). ONCE MARRIED, THERE IS NO EXPIRATION DATE TO THE LICENSE, IT THEN BECOMES A PERMANENT DOCUMENT OF THE STATE AND TOWN.
EFFECTIVE January 28, 2005, blood tests are no longer required in order to marry in the State of Massachusetts. For more information, call the Town Clerk's Office at 508-291-3140.
REMINDER
You can apply for a marriage intention and license anywhere and be married anywhere in the Commonwealth. However, the city or town where you file your intention will be the only place you can obtain copies of the marriage license once it is recorded on a local level. Once the license is recorded with the Department of Vital Records in Dorchester, you can also obtain a copy from them. Fees change from area to area, so please make sure to check with that city, town or state.