City Government
City Clerk, Vitals Statistics
Marriage Licenses & Marriage Records
ATTENTION
Beginning July 12th, the laws relating to access to vital records are changing in that the purchaser of a birth, death or marriage record must have a “direct and legitimate interest in the matter recorded.”
Access to birth, death and marriage records will now be limited to the person on the record, the person’s spouse, registered domestic partner, mother, father, guardian, descendant (child, grandchild) attorney or agent. Individuals requesting records will need to provide proof of their eligibility to obtain the record (proof of lineage, certificate of domestic partnership, marriage license, guardianship papers, notarized statement from family, etc.).
Family members that will not be allowed access to records include grandparents, siblings, step-parents, step-children, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, mother-in-law, father-in-law. Others who will not have access include boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancé, friend, neighbor, ex-spouse.
Persons requesting to purchase copies of vital records must complete a request form and show proof of identification: driver’s license, passport or other government issued picture identification card. If one of these is not available, the requestor will need to show two items from the following: utility bills, bank statements car registration, copy of income tax return, personal check with address, a previously issued vital record, letter from government agency requesting vital record, Department of Corrections ID card, Social Security card, DD214, hospital birth worksheet, license/rental agreement, pay stub or W-2, voter registration card, or a disability card from SSA.
Each City or Town in Maine records and maintains its own birth records. Birth records are available at the town/city hall where the child was born, at the town/city hall where the mother was living at the time of the birth, and in Augusta at the Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Bangor City Clerk's Office maintains and issues birth certificates for individuals born in Bangor. If you are not certain of the Place of Birth, you may call the Office of Vital Statistics for the State of Maine in Augusta at (207) 287-3184. Birth records are available from the late 1700's to the present.
The following is helpful to us in locating an individual's record:
- NAME (at birth)
- DATE OF BIRTH
- HOSPITAL OR ADDRESS OF BIRTH
- MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME
- FATHER'S NAME
Methods for requesting birth records:
In Person:
Certified Copies of Birth Certificates are available during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at our office on the first floor of Bangor City Hall. The fee is $15.00 for the first copy and $6.00 for each additional copy of the same record. The requestor must fill out a request form, provide proof of identity and proof of lineage, if necessary. (Photocopies are not legal documents but may be purchased for $5.00 per record).
By mail:
Birth records can be requested in writing through the mail by indicating the child’s full birth name, date of birth, and parents full name(s), including mother's maiden name. The person requesting the record must inlcude a photocopy of proof of identification and proof of lineage, if necessary. Send your request and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, to:
City Clerk
73 Harlow Street
Bangor, Maine 04401
A check payable to the City of Bangor must accompany your request. The fees are the same as for an in person request.
By phone:
Certified copies may be ordered by phone by calling (207) 992-4221 and using a debit or credit card. Telephone orders will be charged an additional $10.00 expedite fee in addition to the fees noted above for the number of records requested. Phone orders can be sent via first class mail (for no additional charge) or by 2-3 day Priority Mail (for an additional $4.95).
Please note, that all requests for records are generally processed the same day the request is received.
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Each City or Town in Maine records and maintains death records for individuals who died in that municipality or who were a resident of that municipality at the time of death. (If you are not certain of the Place of Death, you may call the Office of Vital Statistics for the State of Maine in Augusta at (207) 287-1919 or 1-888-664-9491.) The City Clerk's Office maintains Death records for Bangor dating back to the early 1800's.
The following information is helpful in locating an individual's record:
- NAME
- DATE OF DEATH
- NAME OF SPOUSE
- MOTHER'S NAME
- FATHER'S NAME
In person:
Certified Copies of Death Certificates are available during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at our office on the first floor of Bangor City Hall. The first copy costs $15.00. Additional copies are $6.00 each. The requestor must fill out a request form, provide proof of identity and proof of lineage, if necessary. (Photocopies are not legal documents but may be purchased for $5.00 per record).
By mail:
Copies may also be ordered by mail, with the above information and the required fee, by sending your request to
City Clerk
73 Harlow Street
Bangor, Maine 04401
The person requesting the record must inlcude a photocopy of proof of identification and proof of lineage, if necessary. Make checks payable to City of Bangor.
By phone:
Certified copies may be ordered by phone by calling (207) 992-4221 and using a debit or credit card. Telephone orders will be charged an additional $10.00 expedite fee in addition to the fees noted above for the number of records requested. Phone orders can be sent via first class mail (for no additional charge) or by 2-3 day Priority Mail (for an additional $4.95).
Please note, that all requests for records are generally processed the same day the request is received.
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In Bangor, the City Clerk is responsible for issuing and recording marriage licenses. Approximately 350 marriage licenses are issued each year. In Maine, application for a Marriage License must be made in the municipality of residence of either the Bride or Groom. If the applicants are not residents of Maine, they may apply in any Town or City in Maine.
The current fee for a Marriage License Application is $40. Application is made by both the Bride and the Groom. Each must show proof of identity (a driver’s license or state I.D.) and, if there have been previous marriages for either applicant, Certified Documents of Death or Divorce of the most recent marriage must also be presented.
Marriage Licenses are valid for 90 days from the date of application.
There is no longer a waiting period to obtain a marriage license. Once the
application is complete, the Marriage License can be issued. A Member of the Clergy, a Maine Notary Public, or an Attorney (licensed in Maine) can perform marriages.
Once the ceremony has taken place and the officiant has returned the completed license to the issuing clerk, a certified copy of the marriage license may be requested. Fees for certified copies are: $15.00 for the first copy and $6.00 for each additional copy. Certified copies are required to change the Bride’s name on many documents such as Social Security Cards, Driver’s Licenses, and bank accounts, to name a few.
The City Clerk’s office is located at 73 Harlow Street. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The City Clerk may be reached by phone at (207) 992-4221 for more information.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES
Each City or Town in Maine records and maintains marriage records for individuals who either applied for their license there and/or were married there. (If you are not certain of the Place of Marriage, you may call the Office of Vital Statistics for the State of Maine in Augusta at (207) 287-3184). The City Clerk's Office maintains marriage records for Bangor dating back to the early 1800's.
The following information is helpful in locating a marriage record:
- NAME OF GROOM
- NAME OF BRIDE
- DATE OF MARRIAGE
- RESIDENCE OF BRIDE AND GROOM (at time of application for Marriage License)
In person:
Certified Copies of Marriage Certificates are available during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at our office on the first floor of Bangor City Hall. The first copy costs $15.00. Additional copies are $6.00 each. The requestor must fill out a request form, provide proof of identity and proof of lineage, if necessary. (Photocopies are not legal documents but may be purchased for $5.00 per record.)
By mail:
Copies may also be ordered by mail, with the above information and the required fee, by sending your request to: City Clerk, 73 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine 04401. The person requesting the record must inlcude a photocopy of proof of identification and proof of lineage, if necessary. Make Checks payable to City of Bangor.
By phone:
Certified copies may be ordered by phone by calling (207) 992-4221 and using a debit or credit card. Telephone orders will be charged an additional $10.00 expedite fee in addition to the fees noted above for the number of records requested. Phone orders can be sent via first class mail (for no additional charge) or by 2-3 day Priority Mail (for an additional $4.95).
Please note, that all requests for records are generally processed the same day the request is received.
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