Vermont Wedding Laws

Written and updated for precision by the Vermont marriage law research team at GetOrdained™ on January 28, 2023

Few states offer a more beautiful backdrop for a beautiful wedding ceremony than Vermont. After all, the lush Green Mountains offer hundreds of recreational opportunities to keep out-of-town guests happy during any destination wedding. If you are a couple who wants to marry in Burlington, Stowe or on Lake Champlain, you must comply with Vermont's specific marriage requirements. This in-depth guide gives you a detailed look at what is necessary for performing a legally binding ceremony in the Green Mountain State. Before deciding to officiate a wedding in Vermont or to marry your spouse anywhere in the state, you should be sure you know how to effectuate a legally binding marriage.

How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Vermont

Min. Age of Minister:: Age 18
Residency:: Not Required
Document(s) Required:: Ordination Credential
Online Ordination Recognized:: Yes
Relevant Office of Registration:: Probate Court
Latest Document(s) Submission Date Allowed:: Before Ceremony
Minister I.D. # Issued:: No

Become Ordained

Ministers who want to perform a marriage ceremony in Vermont must be at least 18. This age requirement coincides with the Universal Life Church's age requirement for ministers. Vermont law has special requirements for ordained ministers who live outside of Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Quebec. Before performing a marriage ceremony, ministers who live outside these jurisdictions must obtain permission from the Probate Division of the Superior Court. This requires paying a fee and providing documentation. The Universal Life Church's Classic Wedding Package includes the necessary documents ordained ministers must submit.

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18 V.S.A. § 5144. Persons authorized to solemnize marriage

(a) Marriages may be solemnized by:

(1) a Supreme Court Justice, a Superior judge, a judge of Probate, an assistant judge, a justice of the peace, a magistrate, a Judicial Bureau hearing officer, or an individual who has registered as a temporary officiant with the Vermont Secretary of State pursuant to section 5144a of this title;

(2) a member of the clergy ordained, licensed, or otherwise regularly authorized by the published laws or discipline of the general conference, convention, or other authority of his or her faith or denomination who:

(A) resides in this State;

(B) resides in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or New York or in the adjacent province of Quebec, Canada, whose parish, church, temple, mosque, or other religious organization lies wholly or in part in this State; or

(C) resides in some other state of the United States or in Canada and whose parish, church, temple, mosque, or other religious organization lies wholly outside this State, provided he or she has first secured from the Probate Division of the Superior Court in the unit within which the marriage is to be solemnized a special authorization, authorizing him or her to certify the marriage if the Probate judge determines that the circumstances make the special authorization desirable.

Getting Married in Vermont

Marriage By Proxy Allowed:: No
Minister Required to be Present:: Yes
Number of Witnesses Required:: None
Min. Age of Witnesses:: N/A
Couple's Consent Required:: Yes
Pronouncement Required:: Yes

The couple and the minister must appear in person at the wedding ceremony. Witnesses are not necessary, though. In Vermont, the minister and the couple have wide latitude to compose the marriage ceremony as they see fit. Nevertheless, for a marriage to be legal in the Green Mountain State, each member of the couple must express consent. The minister must also pronounce the marriage complete.

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18 V.S.A. § 5131

b) A civil marriage license so issued shall be signed by both parties to the marriage and delivered by one of the parties to the proposed marriage, within 60 days from the date of issue, to a person authorized to solemnize marriages by section 5144 of this title. If the proposed marriage is not solemnized within 60 days from the date of issue, such license shall become void. After the person has solemnized the marriage, he or she shall fill out that part of the form on the license provided for his or her use, sign it, and certify to the occurrence and date of the marriage. Thereafter the document shall be known as a civil marriage certificate.

How to Get a Vermont Marriage License

Who Picks Up License:: The Couple
Where License is Valid:: Any County in Vermont
Marriage License Pick-Up:: In Person Only
Cost of License:: $60.00
Accepted I.D. Types:: Standard Government Issued
Proof of Divorce Required (If Applicable):: No
Blood Test Required:: No

Before going through with a marriage ceremony, at least one member of the marrying couple must appear in person before a town clerk, complete an application and pay a $60 fee. When completing the application, each member of the marrying couple may choose to be a bride, groom or spouse. The applicant for the marriage license should present a passport, driver's license or another acceptable form of identification. Fortunately, marrying couples do not have to provide proof of previous divorces or annulments or take a blood test to receive a marriage license in Vermont. After a town clerk issues the marriage license, it remains valid for up to 60 days.

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§ 5131. Issuance of civil marriage license; solemnization; return of civil marriage certificate; registration

(a)(1) Upon receipt of a completed application in a form prescribed by the State Registrar, which shall require both parties to sign the application certifying to the accuracy of the facts contained therein, a town clerk shall issue to a person a civil marriage license in the form prescribed by the State Registrar only if at least one party has signed the license in the presence of the clerk and shall enter thereon the names of the parties to the proposed marriage and fill out the form as far as practicable. The town clerk shall retain in the clerk's office a copy of the license until the marriage certificate is returned by the solemnizer.

(2) The application forms shall allow each party to a marriage to be designated "bride," "groom," or "spouse," as he or she chooses.

This worksheet may be destroyed after the marriage is registered.

(3) The license shall be issued by:

(A) the clerk of the incorporated town, city, or village where either party resides;

(B) the clerk of the county where an unorganized town or gore is situated, if both parties reside in an unorganized town or gore in that county, or if one party so resides and the other party resides in an unorganized town or gore in another county or outside the State; or

(4)(A) Parties to a civil union certified in Vermont may elect to dissolve their civil union upon marrying one another but are not required to do so to form a civil marriage. The State Registrar shall clearly indicate this option on the civil marriage application form required by subdivision (2) of this subsection. If a couple elects this option, each party to the intended marriage shall sign a statement on the confidential portion of the civil marriage license and certificate form stating that he or she freely and voluntarily agrees to dissolve the civil union between the parties.

(B) Dissolution pursuant to this subdivision shall become effective upon solemnization of the marriage between the parties, and the parties shall not be required to file a petition for an uncontested dissolution with the Family Division of the Superior Court pursuant to 15 V.S.A. § 1206(d). A dissolution granted pursuant to this subdivision shall be exempt from fees provided in 32 V.S.A. § 1431(b)(2).

(b) A civil marriage license so issued shall be signed by both parties to the marriage and delivered by one of the parties to the proposed marriage, within 60 days from the date of issue, to a person authorized to solemnize marriages by section 5144 of this title. If the proposed marriage is not solemnized within 60 days from the date of issue, such license shall become void. After the person has solemnized the marriage, he or she shall fill out that part of the form on the license provided for his or her use, sign it, and certify to the occurrence and date of the marriage. Thereafter the document shall be known as a civil marriage certificate.

(c) Such certificate shall be returned within ten days to the office of the town clerk from which the license issued by the person solemnizing such marriage. The town clerk shall retain and file the original according to sections 5007 and 5008 of this title.

Applying For a Marriage License in Vermont

ULC-Officiated Ceremony Type:: Religious
Mandatory Waiting Period:: None
License Valid For:: 60 Days
License Must Be Submitted:: Within 10 Days of Ceremony

Vermont does not have a waiting period between the issuance of a marriage license and the ceremony. Still, after completing the ceremony, the couple or the minister must return it to the town clerk who issued it within 10 days. State law allows both civil and religious ceremonies. Because Universal Life Church ministers are religious in nature, one conducted by a ULC-ordained minister is religious. This is true even if there are few or no religious aspects to the ceremony.

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18 V.S.A. § 5146 Penalty for solemnization without license or failure to return

A person who solemnizes a marriage without first obtaining of the parties the license required by law, or who fails to properly fill out the form thereon provided for his or her use and return the license and certificate of civil marriage to the clerk's office from which it was issued within 10 days from the date of the marriage, shall be fined not less than $10.00.

Vermont Marriage Requirements

Min. Age of Couple:: Age 18 or Age 16 with Guardian Consent
Residency:: Not Required
Min. Distance of Kin Allowed:: First Cousins
Marriage Equality:: Yes

Vermont does not have a residency requirement for marrying spouses. Therefore, whether either spouse lives in Vermont, another state or outside the U.S., marrying in the Green Mountain State is possible. Still, state law requires those who apply for marriage licenses to be at least 18. If someone between the ages of 16 and 18 wants to marry, a parent or guardian may provide consent. Vermont law does not allow anyone who is mentally unfit to marry. The same is true for those who are under guardianship or have common ancestors. Additionally, anyone with a living husband or wife may not marry in Vermont. Like all other states, Vermont recognizes marriage equality, so same-sex couples may obtain marriage licenses and wed in the state.

Ministers who are not residents of Vermont will be required to register with the court for special approval to perform a marriage.

Show Relevant Legal Excerpt

18 V.S.A. § 5142 Persons not authorized to marry

The following persons are not authorized to marry, and a town clerk shall not knowingly issue a civil marriage license, when:

(1) either party is a person who has not attained majority, unless the town clerk has received in writing the consent of one of the parents of the minor, if there is a parent competent to act, or of the guardian of the minor;

(2) either party is under 16 years of age;

(3) either of the parties is mentally incapable of entering into marriage as defined in 15 V.S.A. § 514;

(4) either of the parties is under guardianship, without the written consent of the party's guardian;

(5) [Repealed.]

(6) the parties are prohibited from marrying under 15 V.S.A. § 1a on account of consanguinity or affinity;

(7) either of the parties has a wife or husband living, as prohibited under 13 V.S.A. § 206 (bigamy).

Finalizing the Union

Officiant's Title on Marriage License:: Minister
Church/Ordaining Body:: Universal Life Church Ministries
Address of Church:: Minister's Home Address

After completing a ceremony in Vermont, the minister has the responsibility of ensuring the marriage license is completed and signed by all relevant parties. When Universal Life Ministers complete their sections, they should list their titles as ministers and provide their home addresses where licenses ask for the address of the church. Then, within 10 days, the minister must ensure the completed marriage license returns to the town clerk who issued it. Failure to return the license on time may result in a fine of $10 or more. It may also cause delays in the issuance of the marriage certificate.

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