New Mexico Marriage Records

New Mexico began recording marriages occurring within the state as early as 1853, after the government enacted its first civil-registration statutes. However, the state does not maintain a centralized statewide database for marriage records. Instead, marriage records are maintained at the county level, with varying retention practices per jurisdiction.

New Mexico has the lowest marriage rate across the U.S., according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Per the data, New Mexico has a marriage rate of 4.7 marriages per 1,000 residents, significantly below the U.S. national average of 6.2 marriages per 1,000 people, by over 24%.

New Mexico marriage records comprise the legal documents that authorize and then officially record the union of two individuals. They include:

• Marriage License: A marriage license is a legal permit issued by the county clerk of court before the ceremony, authorizing the named parties to marry. Marriage licenses contain information about the couple intending to get married, including full names, present addresses, age, gender, and birth dates. Marriage licenses also contain information on the license number, the issuing officer's signature, and the date the document was issued.
• Marriage Certificate: A marriage certificate is an official document confirming the legal union of two individuals. After the wedding ceremony, the officiant completes the marriage license and returns the document to the county clerk's office within 90 days of the ceremony, who documents, files, and then creates the marriage certificate. Marriage certificates contain information about the married couple, including their legal names, gender, date and location of marriage, name and signature of the officiant, and official seal of the issuing office. Marriage certificates serve as the official vital record of the marriage.

How To Look Up Marriage Records in New Mexico?

All marriage records, from inception, are accessible at the specific county clerk's office where the marriage license was issued within New Mexico. To order marriage records at the county level, you may complete a marriage certificate request form, usually available at the county clerk's office or on their websites. Some counties provide an online portal to request the document.

Gather the required information and documents to identify and retrieve the record. Generally, the record request requires the full names of both spouses, the marriage date and location, a valid government-issued ID, and the fees. Depending on the county, you may mail the record request or visit the county clerk's office to order the record. Usually, mail requests require a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Are Marriage Records Public in New Mexico?

Marriage records are classified as public records in New Mexico under the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The IPRA grants citizens the right to inspect public records of all government entities, including the county clerk's marriage records. Therefore, any person may inspect or obtain copies of marriage licenses and certificates without restriction or waiting period.

However, the public may only access basic information on the marriage document. Certified copies of marriage records are only available to the spouses, immediate family members, legal representatives, and persons with a tangible legal interest.

How Much Do New Mexico Marriage Records Cost?

New Mexico marriage records are managed at the county level; therefore, the cost to obtain certified copies of marriage certificates differs by county. Generally, expect to pay between $2 and $5 to order a certified copy of a marriage certificate in New Mexico. Additional copies are charged at the same rate as the first copy.

Most counties typically process marriage certificate requests ordered by mail within 2 weeks. If you need the document urgently, request the record in person at the county clerk's office. In-person requests for marriage records are typically processed on the same day.

Is It Possible to Make Your Marriage Records Confidential in New Mexico?

No. New Mexico does not offer a confidential marriage license option that would make marriage certificates restricted to everyone, except the couple. Marriage licenses and certificates are public records available to any requester without a waiting period. Similarly, unlike some states that permit sealing marriage records, such as to protect victims of domestic violence, New Mexico has no statutory framework for sealing marriage records.

How Do I Verify the Authenticity of New Mexico Marriage Records?

Verifying the authenticity of a New Mexico marriage record is crucial for numerous legal, personal, and administrative purposes. Usually, you may need your marriage records for immigration and travel purposes, genealogy research, tax filings, insurance claims, inheritance disputes, obtaining Social Security benefits, legal name changes, and divorce proceedings.

Marriage certificates in New Mexico are issued by the county clerks of the District Courts. Therefore, to verify your marriage documents, you may contact the specific county clerk's office where the marriage license was issued to confirm the record's legitimacy by inspecting the original document.

Generally, all authenticated marriage certificates include security features that prevent document duplication. These security features include the county clerk's seal, certificate number, registrar's signature, and an embossed or raised state seal. In addition, marriage certificates are typically printed on security-grade paper with watermarks for tamper detection.

Can I Find New Mexico Marriage Records Online for Free?

While the public may freely access marriage records through official channels in New Mexico, access to the document comes with a fee. Therefore, if you aim to access new and older marriage records at no cost, several non-governmental platforms offer this information online for free.

Ancestry.com is a subscription-based service offering indexed marriage records and related documents, including census data and family trees. It offers free access to view indexes of marriage records from 1727 to 1900. Its repository includes select marriage records from county archives from 1905 to 1999. Access to digitized images of the record requires subscribing to the platform.

FamilySearch.org is a free platform with extensive digitized marriage records from New Mexico counties, including licenses, certificates, and indexes. The platform features browseable collections of unindexed microfilmed records from county courthouses from 1885 to 1954. Its data typically includes the spouses' names, marriage date, county, and sometimes parents' or officiant's information.

PublicRecords.us aggregates public marriage data from county clerks and court archives to provide users with a searchable database of New Mexico marriage records. The platform has limited pre-1950 marriage records but features a vast repository of newer marriage records. You may access basic information such as names, marriage dates, and locations for free. A detailed marriage report, which includes information such as the officiant and witness data, requires a minimal subscription fee.

What Is Required to Get a New Mexico Marriage License?

Persons intending to get married in New Mexico must fulfil certain legal requirements and provide appropriate documents to obtain the document. These include:

• Both applicants must appear in person at the county clerk's office.
• Both applicants must be 18 years or older. Persons aged 16 -17 may get married with parental consent from both parents or the District Court.
• Both parties present valid government-issued identification.
• The marriage license application fees.

Presently, it costs $25 to apply for a marriage license in New Mexico. As of June 20, 2025, the license application fee increases to $55. There is no waiting period after the license is issued in New Mexico. Once issued, the couple may get married immediately. Similarly, marriage licenses do not expire in the state. It can be used at any time after its issuance; however, the license must be returned to the county clerk's office within 90 days of the ceremony.

Can You Amend Marriage Records in New Mexico?

You may correct both clerical and substantive errors on marriage licenses and certificates in New Mexico. Generally, the following errors may be amended on your marriage records:

• Clerical Corrections
• Spelling mistakes in either party's name
• Incorrect dates, such as the date of birth or the ceremony date
• Wrong county or venue information
• Erroneous demographic details, like residence or parentage fields
• Marriage date or location errors
• Substantive Changes
• Changing a party's legal surname
• Altering the marriage date by more than a clerical margin
• Adding or removing parental information

Substantive errors usually require a court order to effect the change.

Amending New Mexico Marriage License

You may amend your New Mexico marriage license if you notice inaccuracies on the document before you get married. All marriage license corrections must be handled by the same county clerk of the District Court that issued your license. Most clerks will provide a correction form or ask you to fill out a new marriage license application form and mark the top of the document as "correction". If given a correction form, detail both the incorrect and correct information. Both applicants must appear together and present valid government-issued ID. Counties treat corrected licenses as a re-issuance and charge the standard marriage license fee, which is $25.

Amending New Mexico Marriage Certificate

All corrections on a New Mexico marriage certificate go through the county clerk of the District Court that issued the original license and filed the certificate. New Mexico requires both persons named on the marriage certificate to come together to apply for the amendment at the county clerk's office.

Most counties provide a marriage license amendment application form accessible at their office or website. On the application form, detail the incorrect information and then state the accurate data. Include documents in the application that support the correct information, including birth certificates or a state-issued ID.

For substantive errors, petition the District Court in the county where the marriage certificate was granted for the desired amendment. The cost to amend marriage certificates differs by county. Expect to pay up to $40 to amend your marriage certificate.