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New Jersey Marriage License Fee & Waiting Period

License fee
$28 (statewide statutory fee; local registrar)
Fee set by
State
Waiting period
72 hours (3 days; from time of application — waivable by a judge)
Validity
30 days (license valid 6 months but ceremony within the issuance window; verify locally)

In New Jersey, the marriage license fee is set at twenty-eight dollars statewide and is collected by the local registrar's office. This is a statutory fee established by the state, not subject to variation by county. Applicants must also provide an adult witness at the time of application.

New Jersey imposes a mandatory seventy-two-hour waiting period from the time of application before the license can be used, though this waiting period may be waived by a judge in circumstances warranting an exception. Once issued, the marriage license remains valid for thirty days. The state also enforces a minimum age requirement of eighteen years; no exceptions to this age restriction are permitted.

The fee is representative. confirm the exact, current amount on the issuing county clerk's own fee schedule. Informational only — not legal advice.

Where the fee is actually set

In most states the marriage-license fee is set by the county, not the legislature, so a single statewide number can be wrong for you. The license document itself is issued by the county clerk — that office’s own fee schedule is the authoritative source for the current amount and any waiting period.

An official U.S. Certificate of Witness to Marriage document with a red seal
Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
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