Order your NYC marriage certificate online through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) lets you order a certified copy of your marriage certificate online if you were married in any of the five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, or Staten Island. You fill out a form on their website, pay a fee by credit or debit card, and they mail the certificate to you. The whole process takes place without visiting an office.

The online system is called the Vital Records Online Order System. You will need the names of both people who were married, the date of the marriage (or the year if you are not sure of the exact date), and the borough where the marriage took place. The fee is $15 for one certified copy, plus a $5 processing fee, paid by card at the time you order.

Delivery takes about two to four weeks by mail. DOHMH does not offer rush delivery through the online system, so if you need the certificate faster, you will have to visit an office in person or use a third-party service that charges extra.

Key Takeaways

  • The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Vital Records Online Order System lets you request a certified marriage certificate without leaving home.
  • You need the full names of both people married, the marriage date or year, and the borough where the marriage took place.
  • The cost is $15 per certified copy plus a $5 processing fee, paid by credit or debit card at the time of order.
  • Certified copies arrive by mail in two to four weeks; the online system does not offer faster delivery.
  • If you were married outside New York City, you must contact the vital records office in the state or country where the marriage occurred.

What you need before you order online

Gather the information DOHMH asks for before you start the order. Have ready the full legal names of both people who were married, exactly as they appear on the original marriage license. If one person has changed their name since the marriage, use the name they had on the day of the marriage.

You also need the date of the marriage — the month, day, and year. If you do not remember the exact date, the year alone may be enough to search, though it will take longer. Write down the borough where the ceremony took place: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, or Staten Island. If the marriage took place outside New York City, you cannot use this online system.

Have a credit or debit card ready to pay the $20 total ($15 for the certificate, $5 processing fee). The card will be charged when you submit your order, not when the certificate is mailed.

Step-by-step: ordering through the DOHMH website

Go to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website and find the Vital Records Online Order System. You will see a form asking for the names of both people married, the marriage date, and the borough. Fill in each field as accurately as you can. If you are unsure of the exact date, enter the year and leave the month and day blank.

Select how many certified copies you want. Most people order one or two. Each copy costs $15 plus the $5 processing fee applies to the whole order, not per copy — so ordering two copies costs $35 total, not $40.

Enter the mailing address where you want the certificate sent. This does not have to be your home address; you can have it sent to a workplace, a relative's house, or anywhere else. Then enter your email address and a phone number. DOHMH will use these to contact you if there is a problem with your order.

Review the information you entered, then proceed to payment. Enter your credit or debit card details. Once the payment goes through, you will see a confirmation number on the screen. Write it down or take a screenshot — you will need it if you have questions about your order later.

How long delivery takes and what to expect

After you order, DOHMH processes the request and mails the certificate to the address you provided. Standard delivery takes two to four weeks from the date you place the order. This timeline includes the time DOHMH needs to locate the record, print the certified copy, and mail it.

The certificate will arrive in a sealed envelope with the DOHMH seal and signature. A certified copy means it has an official stamp and signature from the department, which is what most institutions — banks, courts, employers — require. A photocopy or printout from your own files is not certified and will not be accepted.

If four weeks pass and you have not received the certificate, contact DOHMH using your confirmation number. They can check the status of your order and tell you whether it has been mailed or if there was a problem locating the record.

When the online system cannot find your record

If DOHMH searches their database and cannot find a match, they will contact you at the email address or phone number you provided. This can happen if the names do not match exactly what is on file, if the date is wrong, or if the marriage was not recorded in the borough you selected.

If the record is not found, you have a few options. You can place a new order with different information — try a different spelling of a name, or a different borough if you are not certain. You can also visit a DOHMH office in person and speak to someone who can search more thoroughly or help you figure out where the record might be.

In rare cases, a marriage certificate may not be on file if the marriage was not properly recorded at the time, or if it was recorded in a different jurisdiction. A staff member at the office can help you understand what happened and what your next steps are.

Marriages outside New York City

If you were married in another state or country, the NYC online system will not have your record. You need to contact the vital records office in the state or country where the marriage took place. Each state has its own vital records office, usually run by the state health department or the county clerk's office.

To find the right office, search online for "[state name] vital records marriage certificate" or "[county name] clerk marriage certificate." Most states now offer online ordering as well, though fees and delivery times vary. Some states charge $10 to $20 per copy; others charge more. Delivery can range from one week to several weeks depending on the state.

If you do not know which state or county the marriage took place in, you can search the FamilySearch website, which has links to vital records offices across the United States and some international locations.

Using a third-party service instead

Several private companies offer to order marriage certificates on your behalf. They charge a fee above the official DOHMH fee — usually $25 to $50 per copy — but they may deliver faster or handle the search if you do not have complete information. These services are not affiliated with DOHMH, and you are paying for their time and convenience, not for a faster government process.

If you use a third-party service, make sure they are legitimate before giving them your payment information. Read reviews and check whether they have a physical address and phone number. Some services are reliable; others are slow or unresponsive. The DOHMH online system is usually faster and cheaper if you have the information you need.

Third-party services can be useful if you do not know the exact date or borough, because they have staff who can search more flexibly. But if you have the basic information, ordering directly through DOHMH costs less and takes the same amount of time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I do not remember the exact date of the marriage?

Enter the year you remember and leave the month and day blank. DOHMH can search by year alone, though it may take longer to find the record. If the search still fails, visit an office in person where staff can help you narrow down the date or search in a different way.

Can I pick up the certificate in person instead of waiting for mail?

The online system does not offer in-person pickup. If you need the certificate faster, visit a DOHMH office in person and request it there. In-person requests are usually processed the same day or within a few days, depending on how busy the office is.

What if the name on my marriage certificate is different from my current legal name?

Order the certificate using the name you had at the time of marriage. If you have changed your name since then, you may need to show both the marriage certificate and a name change document (like a divorce decree or court order) to prove the connection between the two names.

Do I need to show ID or proof of relationship to order online?

No. The online system does not require you to prove you are related to the people on the certificate. Anyone can order a certified copy of a marriage certificate because marriage records are public documents in New York.

What if my order was rejected or the payment failed?

Check your email for a message from DOHMH explaining why. Common reasons include a name mismatch, a wrong date, or a payment error. You can place a new order with corrected information, or call DOHMH to ask for help troubleshooting the problem.