Quick answer. In New Jersey you apply in the town where either of you lives, wait 72 hours for the license to be issued, and then have 30 days to use it. Bring ID, proof of residency, your Social Security numbers, a witness 18 or older and the $28 fee. After the wedding, update names, beneficiaries, insurance and withholding.
The marriage license window
The New Jersey Department of Health's application requirements set the timing (NJ Department of Health):
- Where: the municipality where either of you lives.
- Waiting period: 72 hours after you apply before the license is issued.
- Good for: 30 days from the day it's issued. An application that's never completed expires after six months unless the registrar extends it.
- Bring: proof of identity, proof of residency, your Social Security numbers, a witness who is at least 18, and the $28 application fee.
Work backward from the date: apply between about a month and four days before the ceremony, so the license is issued and still valid on the day. Call the registrar first; towns set their own appointment hours.
Money conversations worth having early
- Each of you lists debts, credit scores, accounts and monthly obligations.
- Decide what's joint, what stays separate and how shared bills get paid.
- Set a wedding budget with a cap, and track deposits and due dates in one place.
- If either of you owns a business, a home or has children from a prior relationship, talk to a lawyer about whether a prenuptial agreement makes sense.
After the wedding: the update list
- Name change, if either of you changes your name: Social Security card first, then driver's license, passport, bank, credit cards, payroll and professional licenses. Certified copies of the marriage certificate come from the registrar.
- Beneficiaries on retirement accounts and life insurance.
- Health insurance: marriage usually opens a special enrollment window, so check your plan's deadline.
- Tax withholding: a new Form W-4 with your employer if your filing status or household income changes.
- Wills and powers of attorney: marriage is the moment most people make their first ones.
Using the certificate abroad
If you'll need the marriage certificate for a visa, a foreign residency or a name change overseas, it may need an apostille. See what to order for a New Jersey marriage certificate apostille.
General information checked November 10, 2026. A checklist, not legal, tax or financial advice. We are notaries, not lawyers: we can witness signatures and notarize, but we can't tell you which document to sign or prepare one for you.