Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies to Begin Today at Queens Borough Hall

The City Clerk’s office at Queens Borough Hall will begin holding same-sex marriage ceremonies on Sunday, so couples intending to tie the knot should be sure to bring the necessary forms of identification.

Earlier this week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, D-Manhattan, announced that a total 764 same-sex and opposite-sex couples would be selected as part of a lottery to have a guarantee that they would get married at the city’s five borough halls.

The mayor said more couples would be married today than on any other day in the city’s history.

“Nobody puts on big events like New York and we will be ready on Sunday for what will no doubt be an historic and unforgettable moment,” the mayor said.

In Queens, the City Clerk’s office is located in the Borough Hall Building, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd., Ground Floor, Room X001 in Kew Gardens.

The office’s extended hours to perform ceremonies are July 24 and 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. But couples must be in the office’s doors by 3:45 p.m. on Sunday and 5:45 p.m. on Monday to be guaranteed service.

To get married, couples must submit an application to the City Clerk online in advance and receive a marriage license at the agency’s office before they can legally wed.

Once a couple completes the application, they should bring their confirmation number to the City Clerk’s office.

The clerk’s office can perform a civil marriage, but the law requires a 24-hour waiting period, unless a couple has obtained a judicial waiver.

Upon arriving at the office, couples should proceed to the information desk. A marriage license will be processed at that time.

Each couple will need at least one witness, age 18 or older, to attend the ceremony.

All couples must bring government-issued identification, including a driver’s license, active United States military identification card, passport, certificate of naturalization or alien registration card.

The fee for a license is $35 and a ceremony will cost an additional $25. Both fees must be paid with a credit card or money order, but not cash or personal checks.