You are planning a trip and will be visiting some romantic places in New York. While on your trip, you may feel like proposing to that special person in your life but would you be permitted to get married? Absolutely!

Even though you are a Non-U.S. Citizen, you are still allowed to get married in New York as there are no residence or citizenship status requirements.

Now that this is out of the way, how do you go about it?

Welll, according to the New York State Department of Health, you will need to apply for a marriage license which is issued immediately but you must wait at least 24 hours after receiving the license to get married. The cost of the license is currently US$40.00 and is valid for 60 days.

To apply and pay the fee, you will need to visit any town or city clerk in New York and provide documents to verify your age (Birth Certificate, Baptismal record, Naturalization record or Census record) and identity (Driver’s license, Passport, Employment picture ID or Immigration record).

Once yout get your license, you can then start to search for places to get married in New York.

If you or your partner were previously married, you will need to show information (Divorce Decree if legally divorced or Death Certificate if legally widowed) that it was dissolved.

If your partner is not expecting you to propose, they will not have their paperwork with them to show the dissolution of the marriage so you may need the help of a family member or a good friend to help get this done.

That person can attempt to get the paperwork so you can carry it along to avoid delays or Federal Express it once your partner says yes.

For updated information, please see the New York State Department of Health site.

Good luck and congratulations!!

Join us in our New York Forum if you have any comments or questions.