What are the Wedding Officiant Registration Requirements in Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts General Laws II-III-207 §38 requires that all wedding officiants must register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth before performing marriage.
Be aware that your state residency status affects the registration process. The Secretary of the Commonwealth offers two registration methods. One is for Massachusetts residents and the other is for Non-Residents.
We will cover the application process for both Massachusetts residents and non-residents below.
Massachusetts Resident Officiant Instructions
Applying to perform marriage as a Massachusetts resident is easy. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's website clearly outlines the registration process. In short, you will need to submit the following documents:
To help clarify the process, we have broken down how Massachusetts residents can register as wedding officiants with the Secretary of the Commonwealth into three simple steps.
STEP 1 ORDER YOUR REQUIRED MINISTRY CREDENTIALS
Your Massachusetts Minister Ordination Package contains all the required documents you need for successful officiant registration. Included in your package is your:
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- Official Ordination Certificate
- Letter of Good Standing - Signed and Notarized
- Completed Massachusetts Resident Clergy Application
Your Letter of Good Standing is signed by a church officer, dated, and notarized, as required by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.
STEP 2 COMPLETE THE MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT CLERGY FORM
The Resident Clergy Form is a simple one page document. The completed form is included in your Massachusetts Minister Ordination Package. You can also Download a PDF and complete it yourself.
The form asks for basic personal information. You will also be asked for your religious title, ordaining church name, and church address. For clarification, this is what you should enter in those fields:
- Your Clergy Member's Title: "Minister"
- Religious Organization Name: "American Marriage Ministries"
- Religious Organization Address: View Church Address
STEP 3 FILE YOUR RESIDENT CLERGY APPLICATION
Once you have all your paperwork in order, you can mail, fax, or email it to:
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Commissions Section
One Ashburton Place, Room 1719
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
(FAX) 617-727-5914
[email protected]
APPROVAL OF YOUR MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT CLERGY APPLICATION
Provided there are no complications, your application should be approved as soon as it is filed with the Secretary's Office. If submitting your application by mail please allow a few days for shipment of your application. You should receive a confirmation email from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office once your application is approved.
Once you receive confirmation of your application you will have the authority to perform marriage anywhere in Massachusetts!
Massachusetts Non-Resident Officiant Instructions
The registration procedure for non-residents is slightly more complex, but not difficult. The Secretary's office strongly recommends applying at least 2-4 weeks but no more than 6 weeks prior to the wedding.
We have broken down the application process for Massachusetts non-residents into 4 easy-to-follow steps. These 4 steps encompass your minister registration and ultimate filing of the marriage license after the wedding.
Make sure to plan ahead and DO NOT WAIT until the last minute!
STEP 1 COMPLETE THE OUT OF STATE NON-RESIDENT CLERGY APPLICATION
Your first step is to complete the Out of State Non-Resident Clergy – Petition to Solemnize Marriage Application.
The name of the application may be a mouthful but it is actually an easy form to complete. For the section with the checkboxes you will want to check the last one marked "Other" and write in "American Marriage Ministries".
The rest of the application consists of entering:
- Your Name & Address
- The Couple's Names & Addresses
- The Date & Location of the Marriage
- Your Signature & Form Completion Date
STEP 2 SUBMIT YOUR NON-RESIDENT CLERGY APPLICATION
Once your application is completed, mail, fax, or email it to:
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Commissions Section
One Ashburton Place, Room 1719
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
(FAX) 617-727-5914
[email protected]
STEP 3 RECEIVE YOUR SOLEMNIZATION CERTIFICATE
Now you must wait for your application to be processed. Expect to wait 2 - 4 weeks to receive your “Solemnization Certificate” from the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Make sure to keep your Solemnization Certificate somewhere safe. You will need it after you officiate the wedding.
STEP 4 FILE THE SOLEMNIZATION CERTIFICATE WITH THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
After you officiate the wedding, your Solemnization Certificate must be returned with the marriage license to the City or Town Clerk's office that issued the marriage license.
It is ideal that you do this in person. However if you are traveling to conduct this wedding and are not able to appear in person, contact the Probate or District Court that issued the marriage license to the couple. With advance notice they should be able to make accomodations and allow for both documents to be returned by the couple or by mail.
Marriage licenses are issued by the Probate and District Courts.
Start Preparing for the Wedding Ceremony
Your next step is to learn how to officiate a wedding ceremony. If you have no experience, you are in good hands. Our Massachusetts Wedding Officiant Preparation Guide covers all aspects of how to prepare for a wedding ceremony.
You will learn everything from the format for a wedding ceremony, the names of the ceremony parts, how to write a wedding ceremony, and more.
PREPARE FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS WEDDING CEREMONY
Use Our AMM Wedding Helper
If the process of planning, scripting, and performing a wedding is daunting, then you need our Wedding Helper suite of tools.
We have distilled years of experience into an easy-to-use platform with training materials, quizzes, a personalized ceremony script generator, and tips to prepare you for performing marriage, all accessible through your minister profile.
That’s only the beginning. After the wedding, you can share your wedding on the AMM Wedding Wall with our nationwide network of ministers.