Licensing

Step 1

The Bride and Groom must complete an Intentions of Marriage form at City Clerk’s office (Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). The bride and groom’s signatures must be acknowledged before an official authorized to take oaths, e.g. notary public. The marriage license is valid for 90 days from the date the intentions are filed. No blood tests are required.

• The filing fee of $40.00 is paid at the time of filing.
• If either the bride or groom has been previously married, a certified copy of the death or divorce decree, whichever ended the previous marriage, must be presented to the clerk where the intentions of marriage are filed. The certified copy must be presented to the clerk prior to the processing of the marriage license.
• A certified copy of a divorce decree may be obtained from the clerk of courts in the county were the divorce was filed. The clerk of courts will certify the document using an embossed seal. Photocopies are not accepted.
• A certified copy of a death certificate may be obtained from the clerk in the town/city of the place of death. The clerk will certify the document using an embossed seal. Photocopies are not accepted.
• Proof of identity, e.g. driver’s license, passport, state I.D. must be provided to the clerk at the time of filing.

When applying for your marriage license, please allow approximately 20 minutes to complete the application process. We recommend that all applicants come to City Hall by 4:00 p.m. to allow enough time to complete the process during normal business hours.

Step 2

The marriage license is completed by the officiant legally qualified to perform a marriage in Maine, and signed by two witnesses. The officiant is required to file the license within 7 working days of the ceremony with the clerk where the license was issued.

Residents of the State of Maine

Residents must record notice of their intentions to marry in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which at least one of them resides. If only one of the parties resides in Maine, the parties must record notice of their intentions to marry in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which the resident party resides. Once the intentions are filed and the license is issued, the parties are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine. The license is valid for a period of 90 days from the date the intentions are filed.

Out-of-State Residents

Out-of-State Residents must file their intentions to marry in any municipal office. Once the intentions are filed and the license is issued, the parties are free to marry anywhere within the State of Maine. The license is valid for a period of 90 days from the date the intentions are filed.

Complete the Copy of Certificate Request Form and mail or deliver to: City Clerk’s Office, 1 City Hall Plaza, Ellsworth, ME 04605

Please Note: Records from 1892 and earlier were not required to be recorded with the Clerk. Those records were mostly kept in Family Bibles, Church Registries, Family Journals, etc. Records from 1892 – 1933 are limited due to the Fire in downtown Ellsworth, which destroyed a lot of the records. Although we can search for records, there is a large possibility we will not find records/or complete records from that period. We would be glad to check the information with the Public Library, however would like to have those requests in email form first, before any money is submitted. Requests for records from 1933-present are best fulfilled by using the form and instructions available online.