New Hampshire Officiant Government Registration Requirements

What are the Wedding Officiant Registration Requirements in New Hampshire?

The New Hampshire Statutes §457:32 requires that all non-resident wedding officiants must register with the New Hampshire Secretary of State. before performing marriage.

New Hampshire Residents are not required to register as wedding officiants with any State office. Continue reading for registration instructions for non-residents of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Non-Resident Officiant Registration Instructions

The Secretary of State's office requires all non-resident ministers to complete and submit a form called the "Application To Perform a Marriage Ceremony In New Hampshire".

This one page application should only take you a few minutes to complete. You can download, print, and complete the application yourself.

You can also order your New Hampshire Minister Ordination Package. Your package includes this form, partially completed, along with your Ordination Certificate and Notarized Letter of Good Standing. Though your ministry credentials are not strictly required by the Secretary of State, it is a good idea to keep personal copies.

Below are step-by-step instructions for officiating legal weddings in New Hampshire.

STEP 1COMPLETE THE APPLICATION TO PERFORM A MARRIAGE CEREMONY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

The following instructions are for completing the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Application To Perform a Marriage Ceremony In New Hampshire.

1. Enter the full names of each partner getting married and their cities and states of residence.
2. Check the first box that begins with the text "An ordained minister who does not reside in the State of New Hampshire...".
3. On the field corresponding to that box marked "denomination" enter "American Marriage Ministries".
4. Enter your mailing address and phone number in the appropriate fields.
5. Sign your name, print your name, and enter the completion date.
6. Write a check for $25 payable to the "State of New Hampshire".

STEP 2MAIL YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Once you have everything in order, mail your completed application along with the $25 check to the:

New Hampshire Secretary of State
State House, Room 204
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

STEP 3RECEIVE YOUR SPECIAL LICENSE

It will take a few days for the Secretary of State's office to process your application. Once approved they will mail you a "Special License". This special license gives you permission to perform one wedding.

Keep your Special License somewhere safe. You will need it after the wedding.

STEP 4RETURN THE SPECIAL LICENSE WITH THE MARRIAGE LICENSE

So what do you do with this special license? You are required to file your Special License along with the marriage license when returning the marriage license after the wedding. So basically make sure that both the marriage license and special license are returned together.

If you have further questions about this process you can contact the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office.

Phone: 603-271-3242
Hours: 8:00am-4:30pm M-F

You will have to repeat this process for each wedding you officiate in New Hampshire, unless you decide to move to the Granite State.

Order Your Ministry Credentials

Whether you are a New Hampshire Resident or not, we strongly recommend that you order your New Hampshire Minister Ordination Package. It is a good idea to keep personal copies of your official Ministry Credentials. Proof of your ordination is essential in the event that the couple or government officials request to see your ministry credentials.

Your package includes your Official Ordination Certificate and Letter of Good Standing. Your Letter of Good Standing is signed by a church officer, dated, and notarized. Your Minister Ordination Package also includes a partially completed Application To Perform a Marriage Ceremony In New Hampshire for your convenience.

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 New Hampshire 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.

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.