Marriage License / Civil Marriage

Marriage Intentions - Filing

If you are getting married in the State of Massachusetts, you may file your marriage intentions at ANY Massachusetts City/Town Clerk's Office.

Applying for a Marriage License in Franklin:

•  Both parties must appear together in the Town Clerk’s Office, with a picture ID (License, Passport, State Issued ID Card) to complete & file the Marriage Intention paperwork.  This is done during normal business hours and by appointment only
•  After you file your paperwork, there is a three (3) day waiting period before your license can be issued
•  Marriage licenses are valid for 60 days from the date of filing your intention paperwork
•  There is a $25.00 Fee for filing intention paperwork in Franklin
•  You must be 18 years of age or older to file your marriage intentions

How to obtain a license
To obtain a marriage license, couples must complete the marriage intention paperwork in person at the Office of the Town Clerk. Take the oath and make the payment.  

Requirements
Persons seeking a marriage license must be at least eighteen years of age.  

Waiting Period
After the completion of the marriage intention, there is a mandatory three-day waiting period before the marriage license can be issued.  A waiver of the waiting period may be granted by the county probate and family court.  In that instance, the couple should bring the court waiver to the Town Clerk and a marriage license may be issued immediately.

The marriage license is valid for a sixty-day period from the filing date of the marriage intention. This is when both parties come to the Town Clerk’s Office to complete & file the paper work.

Recording the Marriage
Following the marriage ceremony, the officiant who performs the ceremony must mail back the marriage license to the Town Clerk’s Office that processed the marriage intention.  

Requesting a Certified copy of your Marriage License
Your certified marriage certificate can only be obtained from the Town Clerk's Office in which you filed your marriage intention.  Your license is not available in the town you reside in or the community your marriage ceremony was held in (unless that is where you filed your intentions). 

Your certified marriage certificate is available after the recording of your marriage (return of your license with officiant certification) for a fee of $10.00 additional copies can be purchased for $5.00 each if ordered at the same time.

Payment options
We accept Cash, Checks - made payable to: The Town of Franklin or Credit / Debit cards (convenience fee included).

Performing your ceremony
If the person performing your ceremony is a clergy member or Justice of the Peace from another state he/she will need a solemnizer certificate to perform the ceremony: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/download/nonresclergyapp.pdf

If the person performing your ceremony is not a Justice of the Peace or clergy member he/she will need a one-day solemnizer certificate to perform the ceremony: 
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OneDayWeb/External/Welcome.aspx

Officiant available at Town Offices during business hours
Justice of the Peace services are offered during business hours at the Town Offices, upon availability and at the discretion of the Town Clerk. There is a $100.00 fee to perform the service.