Congratulations! You’re getting married.

However, before that you need a marriage license by the great ol’ State of New York.

And as a NYC Elopement photographer, I’ve got all the advice you need to obtain one.

Recently, many couples have been facing issues securing virtual appointments to get their NYC marriage license. Which means you have to choose an in-person appointment. However, that comes with its own caveat. Most choose the Manhattan or Brooklyn City Clerk offices, given their convenient locations. Unfortunately, they tends to be overcrowded and run with a slight delay on the admin side at times. The Bronx and Queens are decent options (if you live in the same boroughs) but again, they’re quite a long underground train ride to get to.

So how can a couple get an NYC marriage license?

Do you know there is a City Clerk’s office that pretty much issues your marriage license within 15-20 minutes? And it’s located on, yep, you guessed it! Staten Island. Hey! That borough deserves some love too!

But Natasha, isn’t Staten Island far? 

Okay, so you’ve got a point but consider this… all you need to do is take the ferry from Whitehall street and enjoy the views. You were going to take the morning or afternoon off anyway to get this done anyway so why not spend it above ground with a nice breeze around you and your favorite iced or warm beverage in hand. And for my international folk, consider this a way to kill two birds with one stone. A free ferry ride with views and success with getting your New York marriage license. 

Once you disembark, the city clerk building is literally across the street from the ferry terminal (and quite a beautiful building I might add). There’s also a recently developed mall and food court with great options for you to spend some time in between ferry trips if you’d like.

A couple of mine told me that their entire process took 20 minutes from entry to exit at the Staten Island City Clerk offices. There was hardly anyone there and it was also incredibly easy to secure a time slot on the website for their in-person appointment. Staten Island in general always has a ton of appointments available even for marriage ceremonies. 

Think about it!

Staten Island City clerk is located at 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at natasha@marriedinnewyork.co. I’m always here to help. And with that I wish you the best elopement experience in this crazy, beautiful city I call home. 

Happy Eloping!

For information on how to secure a New York marriage license and ceremony appointments, check out my How to Elope in NYC guide.