Maine Marriage Laws

In order to get married in Maine, you must obtain a marriage license from a town or county office. There is no longer waiting periods to obtain a license or to have the ceremony performed. Both parties of the marriage must be present in order to obtain a marriage license. The license is valid for 90 days and can only be used in Maine.

The fee is $10/person of the marriage for a total of $20, which does not include a certified copy of the marriage certificate. The married couple is responsible to purchase the license after it has been filed. The costs for a marriage certificate are $7 at the municipal office level plus $3 for additional copies ordered at the same time, and $10 at the state level plus $4 for additional copies ordered at the same time.

A marriage may be made official by: an ordained minister of a religious society, judge or justice in the State of Maine, Lawyers admitted to the Maine Bar and Maine Notaries. There are no justices of the peace in Maine, and out-of-state Justices of the Peace and Notaries may not officiate a wedding in Maine.

The officiate of the wedding is responsible for sending the completed marriage license to the clerk who issued it. The clerk will then record and file the license and return a copy to the married couple.

Both parties must be over the age of 18 to legally marry. If one or both of the parties is 16 or 17 years old, they must obtain parental consent. Parties under the age of 16-years-old require parental consent and the written approval of a judge.

Maine does not recognize covenant marriages, common law marriages or proxy marriages. Same sex marriages became valid in Maine on December 29, 2012; however cousin marriages are legal if they present a certificate of genetic counseling from a physician.

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