The Quick Summary
civil unions
On June 3rd, 2009, New Hampshire became the sixth state to legalize same sex marriages. The law took effect on January 1, 2010, marriages being performed instead of civil unions.
On January 1, 2011, all existing civil unions in the state become marriages, unless otherwise dissolved or previously converted to marriage. Bye bye civil unions.
To get a marriage license:
Go to your town clerk or town hall, and obtain an application.
• You do not need to be a resident of New Hampshire.
• Both of you need to be there at the same time.
• You need to bring proof of age.
• You need to be over 18 (if younger, you need more paperwork: get more info by Clicking here).
• If divorced, you will need a certified copy of divorce decree; if you are widowed, you will need your spouse's death certificate.
• Bring $45.
There is no waiting period before you can get married, but….
• The license application expires after 90 days.
• The town clerk's office may be open limited hours. (See below for a list of town clerks.)
The ceremony can be performed by a Justice of the Peace, a minister, a rabbi, a Quaker, or a deacon in the Catholic church. Others can officiate, but require paperwork.
No blood tests or witnesses are required.
Give the apllication to the JP before the ceemony. He/she will complete it and mail it in. A certified copy of your marriage license will be available from the clerk’s office after about two weeks.
Difference between a heterosexual and same sex marriage
Both have all the benefits of a marriage under New Hampshire law. But...a same sex marriage is not recognized by the Federal Government (due to that pesky In Defence of Marriage Act that Obama may repeal), thus you can't file joint tax returns, etc. You may have different albilities to adopt.
