How to Get a Copy of a New Mexico Marriage Certificate Online

A copy of a is a useful tool, whether you need to change your name, file taxes or confirm a relationship while researching your family history. While married couples receive a copy of the document shortly after their wedding, it can be easy to lose the original, especially since you’re likely to be caught up in the joy of the occasion and not focused on organizing paperwork. You may have traveled or moved shortly after getting married, making misplacing a paper even more likely.

Regardless of the reason, you may find yourself needing to request a certified copy of your marriage certificate after the fact. This can be somewhat confusing and time-consuming in New Mexico, so here’s what you need to know about marriage certificates and how to get one as easily as possible.

What Is the Difference Between a Marriage License and a Marriage Certificate in New Mexico?

You may hear the terms marriage license and marriage certificate used interchangeably, but they are actually two different documents, and it’s important to understand the difference.

Marriage License	Gives you the state’s permission to marry
Marriage Certificate	Certifies that you are legally married

Both members of the couple need to appear in person to apply for a marriage license. There are also several required documents and pieces of information for both people:

Valid photo ID
Social Security numbers
Proof of age if it’s not on the photo ID

Who Can Get Married in New Mexico?

There are certain requirements, as well as some things that are not required but are commonly associated with marriage applications.

Both parties need to be at least 18 years old, 16-17 with parental permission, or 15 with a judge’s approval.
There is no waiting period required between getting the license and getting married.
There is no blood test required.
If an applicant has been married before, that applicant needs to provide the date of divorce or of the previous spouse’s death. Documents proving this are not required.

The marriage license needs to be signed by the official performing the marriage and by two witnesses, after which it becomes the . The couple then needs to return it to the county clerk’s office so it can be recorded. Once the marriage has been recorded, the clerk will return the original marriage certificate.

Who Can Get a Copy of a Marriage Certificate in New Mexico and What Might They Need It for?

New Mexico marriage certificates are part of the public record, so anyone who knows the required information and pays the search fee can apply for one. Marriage certificates are issued and maintained by county clerks, not the state Department of Health, which handles vital records like birth and death certificates.

Marriage certificates are the official proof of your relationship, so they are important to have whenever you need to demonstrate that you are married for or financial purposes. These situations include:

Changing your name
Applying for a passport with your new name
Adding your spouse to your health insurance plan
Filing taxes jointly
Applying for a mortgage jointly

How to Get a Marriage Certificate in New Mexico on Your Own

Because marriage certificates are issued and maintained by individual counties, each county has its own process for requesting certified copies. Counties also set their own fees, which are usually small, between $1.50 and $2.50.

Regardless of where in New Mexico you need to get a marriage certificate, you’ll need three pieces of information:

Names of the couple
Date of the marriage ceremony
County where the license was issued

You’ll need to check with the county clerk’s office in the county where the marriage took place to get their specific requirements. Figuring this out can be time-consuming since many counties do not have an online or automatic process in place for obtaining marriage certificates. In most counties, you’ll need to call the county clerk’s office directly to request your document. The request process for two example counties is listed below.

Chaves County

To request a certified copy of a marriage license in Chaves County, you’ll need to submit a request through the county’s public document search online system. Then, a staff member will call you at the number you provided to verify your information and complete your request.

San Juan County

In San Juan County, you can request a marriage certificate by calling or emailing the County Clerk and providing the information listed above. The fee is $2.

Since requesting a certified copy of a marriage certificate varies and many counties have a process in place that requires back and forth communication with an individual county staff member, getting the document yourself can take some time.

Get a Certified Copy of a New Mexico Marriage Certificate Quickly with DoNotPay

New Mexico marriage certificates are kept at the county level, which means that each county has its own process in place for how to contact the county clerk’s office to request your copy. In many counties, the information online is limited, so it can be difficult to understand how you need to go about obtaining your marriage certificate. This can be especially challenging if you don’t live in or near the county where you got married, so an in-person visit is not an option.

Save time and avoid stress and uncertainty by letting DoNotPay order your marriage certificate for you. Regardless of the county involved, simply enter all of the relevant information into one convenient online portal and let DoNotPay handle the process from there. DoNotPay’s fast, easy and successful system makes getting a copy of your New Mexico marriage certificate quick and straightforward.

If you want to Order/Get a Marriage Certificate Copy in New Mexico but don’t know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 7 easy steps:

Go to the Certificates of Marriage product on DoNotPay.
Select whether the certificate belongs to you or a relative/loved one. If it belongs to someone else, enter the details of both people on the certificate, and select/upload evidence that proves your relationship with them. If the certificate is yours, enter the details of your spouse.
Enter the city, state, and county where the marriage certificate was issued as well as the date it was issued.
Indicate what you will be using this certificate for, and choose whether you need an authorized or certified copy.
Enter your contact information and shipping address. Upload copies of your government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license.
Choose whether you would like to electronically sign this form or not. Once we generate the form, verify that all of the information is correct
If you need the document to be notarized, schedule a notarization appointment using our Notary product. Otherwise, proceed to our Mail Checks product and let DoNotPay mail-in your request form with a check on your behalf.