NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers will be able to get married completely online by the end of the week, according to city leaders.
Wednesday Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Corey Johnson announced “Project Cupid,” a plan to move the marriage application process totally online. All couples who want to get married in New York State must obtain a marriage license, but the law requires that New Yorkers finish their marriage license applications by meeting a clerk in person. Project Cupid waives that requirement and moves the meeting online.
The mayor says the city didn’t want people meeting in person and risking spreading the coronavirus, but they also didn’t want the coronavirus to get in the way of anyone’s love:
“We need moments of joy now more than ever, and we won’t let a pandemic get in the way of true love. To all of the couples looking forward to tying the knot, know that your city is right here with you, throwing rice from afar.”
Under the new system, couples schedule virtual appointments with the City Clerk’s Office, then upload and sign all the required documents online. The Mayor’s Office says the virtual meetings will be offered in 11 languages, and translators will be available for any other languages if necessary.
Fees will also be processed online through the city’s electronic payment program CityPay.
Project Cupid is being set up by the Office of the City Clerk and the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
The system is expected to be up and running by the first week of May. When it is, New Yorkers who want to schedule an appointment to get a marriage license can do so by visiting the city clerk’s office at cityclerk.nyc.gov. The city is also setting up a new web portal which will go live at nyc.gov/Cupid