To meet the Rhode Island marriage requirements, you need a marriage license from a city or town clerk ($24), a ceremony performed by an authorized officiant in front of two adult witnesses, and the completed license filed back with the issuing clerk within 72 hours. There is no waiting period and no blood test. The license is good for three months from the day it’s issued.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-2-8 – Duration of License
Where to Apply for the License
Where you apply depends on where you live. If both of you live in Rhode Island, go to the clerk’s office in either partner’s city or town. If only one of you is a resident, apply where that person lives. If neither of you lives in the state, apply in the city or town where the ceremony will happen.2Rhode Island Department of Health. Marriage Licenses
Both of you have to appear in person, fill out the application, and sign it under oath. The fee is $24, paid to the city or town.3Rhode Island Department of Health. General Marriage Requirements in the State of Rhode Island False statements on the application can carry legal consequences and can put the validity of the marriage in question.
You can marry the same day you get the license. If you don’t use the license within three months, you have to return it to the clerk and start over with a new application and fee.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-2-8 – Duration of License
What to Bring to the Clerk’s Office
Each of you needs a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.3Rhode Island Department of Health. General Marriage Requirements in the State of Rhode Island Some clerks also ask for a Social Security number or a certified birth certificate, so call ahead and ask what your office wants.
If either of you was married before, bring proof that the earlier marriage ended. For a divorce, that means a certified copy of the final decree with the court’s raised seal. For a widowed applicant, a certified death certificate of the former spouse.4Bristol, RI. Marriage License
Rhode Island does not require a blood test or medical exam.
Age Requirement
You have to be 18. There are no exceptions and no parental-consent workaround. A license can only be issued to someone who has reached that age.5Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-2-14 – Minimum Age for Marriage License The state used to allow minors to marry with parental consent; legislation signed in 2021 removed that option entirely.6Rhode Island General Assembly. Bans Child Marriages
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
The list of authorized officiants is broad. It includes ordained clergy and elders in good standing; current and former justices of the state Supreme, Superior, Family, District, and other state courts; various court clerks and administrators; federal judges, bankruptcy judges, and U.S. magistrate judges; probate judges; and the wardens of New Shoreham.7Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-3-5 – Officials Authorized to Join Persons in Marriage
Ministers ordained online count as clergy and can perform religious ceremonies in Rhode Island with no extra certification.8Rhode Island Department of State. One-Day Marriage Officiant Certification
One-Day Officiant Certification
If you want a friend or family member who isn’t ordained or otherwise authorized to marry you, Rhode Island offers a one-day officiant certification through the Secretary of State. The applicant has to be at least 18 and not already empowered to perform marriages. Neither the officiant nor the couple has to live in Rhode Island.8Rhode Island Department of State. One-Day Marriage Officiant Certification
The application is filed online for $22, or by mail for $25, and can take up to five business days to process. Once approved, the Secretary of State emails a “Certificate Authorizing the Solemnization of Marriage” as a PDF. The one-day officiant performs a civil ceremony, writes the certificate number on the marriage license, and returns both the completed license and the certificate to the issuing clerk within 72 hours.8Rhode Island Department of State. One-Day Marriage Officiant Certification Get your marriage license first, then apply for the officiant certification using the license information, and give yourself a couple of weeks of lead time before the ceremony.
The Ceremony Itself
Both of you must be physically present and give consent in front of the officiant. Rhode Island doesn’t dictate specific vows, but there has to be a clear verbal statement from each person that they intend to marry the other. Two witnesses aged 18 or older must be present. If your honor attendants are under 18, two other adults at the ceremony can sign as witnesses.3Rhode Island Department of Health. General Marriage Requirements in the State of Rhode Island
Consent has to be real. If someone is coerced, deceived, or lacks the mental capacity to understand the commitment at the time of the ceremony, the marriage can later be challenged in court.
After the ceremony, the officiant collects the witnesses’ signatures, completes the license, and returns it to the issuing clerk within 72 hours.9Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-3-12 – Filing of License and Certificate of Marriage Missing that filing window can create real headaches later when you need to prove the marriage for a name change, spousal benefits, or recognition in another state.
Marriages Rhode Island Won’t Recognize
Some marriages are void from the start no matter what the couple does. Rhode Island prohibits marriage between siblings, a parent and child, a grandparent and grandchild, a stepparent and stepchild, a person and their spouse’s child or grandchild, a person and their sibling’s child, and a person and their parent’s sibling.10Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-1-2 – Marrying Kindred Any marriage within those relationships is automatically null and void.11Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 15-1-3 – Incestuous Marriages Void
Bigamy also voids the marriage. If either of you is still legally married to someone else, the new marriage has no legal effect, and bigamy is itself a crime in Rhode Island that carries a fine of up to $1,000. The statute recognizes narrow exceptions, including where a spouse has been absent from the state for at least seven continuous years and the remaining spouse did not know whether they were still alive.12Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 11-6-1 – Bigamy If a prior marriage is anywhere in the picture, bring the divorce decree or death certificate to the clerk before applying.