Marriage Licenses

The Town Clerk’s Office is open to provide marriage license services by appointment only.  Please call us at 860-584-6200 ext. 0 or email us at TownClerk@BristolCT.gov.

Marriage License Application Process

You will need the following items before a marriage license can be issued to you:

Marriage application. 
You must apply for the marriage license only in the town where the ceremony takes place.

  1. There are two ways to apply for a marriage license in Bristol: a) You may complete an on-line worksheet which is transmitted directly to the Bristol Town Clerk’s Office. A confirmation number will be issued; contact us with that number to make an appointment. or b) Download an application which you can complete and bring with you to your scheduled appointment.
  2. Once you have a date and an officiator, please call us to make an appointment.  
  3. When you arrive at City Hall, you must present your current government-issued photo identification (i.e. driver’s license or passport).
  4. Both future spouses must appear when applying for a marriage license, in order to take their oaths. It is not necessary for both parties to appear at the same time, if their schedules do not permit it.
  5. The fee for a marriage license is $50.00, payable at the time of application. We do not accept credit or debit cards or out-of-state checks as payment.
  6. The marriage license is only valid for 65 days from the date of the application to the date of the marriage.
  7. You should provide the Town Clerk’s Office with the name of the person performing the ceremony or the religious facility where it will be held.
  8. The original marriage certificate must be signed and returned by the person performing the ceremony to the Town Clerk’s Office in the town where the marriage ceremony occurred.

Marriage Eligibility.

A person is eligible to enter into a marriage if such person is:

  • not a party to another marriage or a relationship that provides substantially the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as a marriage, except that if the person is in a relationship substantially similar to marriage and is applying to marry their current partner, such marriage is permitted;
  • at least 18 years of age; and
  • not prohibited from entering into a marriage pursuant to C.G.S. § 46b-21. C.G.S. § 46b-21 prohibits marriages of persons related by consanguinity or affinity. Those persons are defined as such person's:  parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent's sibling, sibling's child, stepparent, stepchild or cousin. Any marriage within these degrees is void.

For additional restrictions or information, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at (860)584-6200 ext. 0. Marriage licenses are by appointment only.