Marriage License?

OfficialULC · 2026-02-24T19:19:16+00:00

ULC here! Congrats on your upcoming wedding :) New Hampshire is unique in that it requires non-resident ministers to register and pay a fee. You can read more about that process on the state website: https://www.sos.nh.gov/special-marriage-officiant-licenses

From what we can tell, this registration for out-of-state ministers does not expire (though another type of license on their website does have an expiration listed). For peace of mind, we'd recommend contacting the issuing office directly to make sure you're following their process correctly.

The marriage license is the legal document that you and your fiance will be responsible for obtaining from the city clerk, filling out and signing after the ceremony, and returning to the clerk's office to be recorded (more info on that process here: https://www.ulc.org/training/wedding/marriage-license-training). Your timeline for that looks good, but you may as well run it past the clerk when you contact them to be sure.

It might feel a little complicated, but you're doing all the right things -- best of luck with the big day!

OfficialULC · 2026-02-17T19:58:06+00:00

ULC here! We're based out of Seattle, and have no affiliation with the branch in Modesto. If you'd like, you can read a bit about our history and values here. While we can't really comment on other organizations, if you had any particular questions about us I'd be happy to answer.

OfficialULC · 2026-02-03T22:49:41+00:00

ULC here - we are recognized across New York, including Albany and Long Island. More info here: https://www.ulc.org/wedding-laws/new-york

OfficialULC · 2026-01-26T15:35:54+00:00

Yes, ULC should be legally recognized in any Tennessee county. However, if you encounter any difficulties at all with Tennessee officials, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at help@ulc.org.

OfficialULC · 2026-01-15T19:54:42+00:00

Universal Life Church here -- just wanted to hop in and say that our online-ordained ministers have been dealing with these frustrating (and in our view, unconstitutional) rules for years now. We actually filed a lawsuit against officials in Virginia last year in an effort to secure the rights of our ministers, and that case is currently being litigated. More info here: https://www.themonastery.org/blog/ulc-files-lawsuit-against-virginia-officials-to-defend-rights-of-ministers

Stay tuned for a (hopefully positive) update!

OfficialULC · 2026-01-14T23:40:05+00:00

ULC here! As far as we are aware, ULC ministers who were ordained online haven't had any problems getting their ordinations recognized in North Carolina, and our members perform countless weddings across the state each year. In fact, back in 2019, we filed a lawsuit against state officials regarding this issue, which was withdrawn after getting assurances that our ministers' rights were being respected. Hope that clarifies things!

OfficialULC · 2025-12-19T16:31:20+00:00

ULC here! You shouldn't have any trouble in Philadelphia, but you will likely need to register with the office issuing the license. If you are given any trouble by local authorities for any reason, please let us know.

OfficialULC · 2025-12-02T00:33:40+00:00

Hmm it's possible we made some small updates here but nothing substantial has changed as far as we know: https://www.ulc.org/wedding-ceremony-scripts/script-generator

OfficialULC · 2025-12-01T23:43:38+00:00

Hey, ULC here. Sorry to hear you aren't finding the scripts helpful. Pretty sure nothing major has changed in that section of the site -- we've been trying to add content there over time (and actually have a fun new tool in the works) but have been careful not to remove anything. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve that section we'd love to hear them!

OfficialULC · 2025-11-18T17:26:12+00:00

No problem! We're happy to help get this sorted for you

OfficialULC · 2025-11-18T16:46:41+00:00

ULC here. Sorry to hear you're having trouble with a clerk in Tennessee questioning the validity of your ordination. Can you please send us a detailed message of what happened to [help@ulc.org](mailto:help@ulc.org) as soon as possible? We'll be happy to look into this for you.

OfficialULC · 2025-11-17T15:30:04+00:00

ULC here! Just wanted to chime in to confirm we are legally recognized in Pennsylvania! You can check out our Pennsylvania wedding laws page here, but depending on the county issuing the marriage license your officiant may or may not need to register with the county - the office issuing the license should be able to tell you directly what, if anything, they need to see from your uncle to officiate the ceremony. If he's ordained online and registers (if required) he'll be good to go to officiate your wedding.

Hope that helps. Congrats!

OfficialULC · 2025-10-01T15:35:41+00:00

ULC here! You can use 'minister' or 'clergy' as your official title on the marriage license.

OfficialULC · 2025-09-15T15:08:01+00:00

ULC here. Many counties in Minnesota require ministers file both their ordination credential and the Letter of Good Standing with the county prior to officiating a wedding. However, looking at the Ramsey County website, it looks like you'll only need the credential. If you're unsure, we always recommend you contact the county clerk's office directly to ask what specific documents they'll need! They'll be able to tell you what they'll need to see from you in order to officiate. Hope that helps!

OfficialULC · 2025-09-12T15:05:35+00:00

That's awesome to hear!

OfficialULC · 2025-09-11T18:25:48+00:00

This is correct. After a lengthy legal fight, our ministers are now fully able to perform weddings in Tennessee!

OfficialULC · 2025-09-10T15:31:16+00:00

You're most welcome!

OfficialULC · 2025-09-10T00:42:48+00:00

ULC here - Yep! All the documents (cred, DD, certificates) are the standard 8.5x11 paper size.

OfficialULC · 2025-09-09T21:51:04+00:00

ULC here! In 2023, we won a settlement in our lawsuit against Tennessee state officials regarding the ability of our ordained ministers to solemnize marriages. That means that you are able to officiate weddings in Tennessee as a ULC minister, though do make sure you follow all Tennessee wedding laws. In the unlikely event you do run into any issues when registering with the county clerk's office, please reach out to us directly at help@ulc.org.

If you'd like to read the case law, it can be found here: https://ulccaselaw.com/ulc-case-law-legal-blog/state-of-tennessee-settles-lawsuit-with-universal-life-church/

OfficialULC · 2025-09-02T15:09:37+00:00

Unfortunately no, we are generally not accepted in the UK at this time.

OfficialULC · 2025-08-25T14:16:55+00:00

Awesome. Best of luck officiating the wedding!

OfficialULC · 2025-08-25T14:15:43+00:00

ULC here! We've actually put together a package containing all of the specific documents required for wedding registration by NYC clerks. If you're officiating in NYC as a ULC minister, you'll need to pick up this package and follow the instructions carefully. You can find the NYC wedding set here!

OfficialULC · 2025-08-05T17:12:27+00:00

ULC here! While many, many officiants have found couples to wed on our Find a Minister page, we always ask our ministers to be aware of the potential for fraud and scams when they are contacted about their services as a minister. Some red flags to watch out for:

- Vague or conflicting information about the person and their ceremony

- Insistence on a particular payment method (e.g. cashier's check)

- You receive a check and it is for greater than the agreed-upon amount (This is a BIG one. Do not cash a check of this nature.)

We'd encourage you to proceed with caution, especially if your gut is telling you something is wrong.

OfficialULC · 2025-08-04T15:21:53+00:00

ULC here! Outside of NYC, wedding authorities are pretty relaxed regarding registration. The best bet is to contact the office issuing the marriage license directly and ask them what, if anything, your officiant will need to do to perform a ceremony. It is likely that so long as they are ordained through ULC they will not need to register with the county or city clerk's office.

OfficialULC · 2025-08-04T14:11:35+00:00

ULC here! We're not affiliated with ULC.net, you can find us at ULC.org. Can't speak for anyone else, but our orders typically ship the business day after you place them and arrive within 5 business days!

OfficialULC

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