
Congratulations! If you've found yourself at this page it is likely that you are either planning to be married or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in New Mexico. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in New Mexico. The information provided below will walk you through the steps one must follow to become a minister and perform a valid wedding ceremony in the state of New Mexico.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: No
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 0 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: Never Expires
- Marriage License Return Within: 90 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in New Mexico
If you haven't already, you should get ordained online with the Universal Life Church. Ordination is free and can be completed in just a matter of minutes. Thousands of legally valid marriages are performed by ULC ministers around the world every year. Begin the process by clicking the big blue button below!
2 Officiating a Wedding in New Mexico
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk). Let them know that you are a minister of the Universal Life Church in Seattle, and ask what they will require of you to officiate a legal marriage.
Select your County Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact

New Mexico's Top Wedding Spot
Ancient spanish mission ruins, 25 miles east of Santa Fe
3 License to Marry in New Mexico
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our online store to purchase whatever documentation will be required. We typically advise ministers in New Mexico to get an Ordination Package, although minister registration is not required in New Mexico you may be asked by the county clerk to display proof of your ordination before the marriage will be accepted as legally valid. Additionally, please attempt to leave at least 3 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your order, to ensure that you receive all of your materials in advance.
4 How to get Married in New Mexico
Now that you've done all of the above, you are ready to perform the wedding! Be sure that the couple has picked up their New Mexico marriage license from the appropriate office. This license never expires, and there is no waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in New Mexico and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. The signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 90 days of the wedding ceremony.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in New Mexico, after they've received their license to marry by getting ordained online, asking for guidance on how to perform a wedding ceremony. Once the legal matters have been taken care of, officiating a wedding (while a sometimes-daunting task) can be a great deal of fun. We would suggest that new New Mexico wedding ministers concerned about the ceremony peruse one of our helpful wedding guides. The minister training section of our website should offer a helpful refresher for more experienced ministers.
5 Important New Mexico Wedding Tips
Wedding officiants planning on performing a ceremony in New Mexico should consider a couple of things before the big day. First, you'll want to make sure you have the proper attire for the weather while still meeting the couple’s dress code. While the weather changes from season to season tend to be minor and fairly predictable, fall is the most popular season to get married as it provides a nice balance between comfortable, sunny days and cool nights that won't have you needing a winter jacket. New Mexico’s unique topography and art culture makes for a variety of wedding venues for couples to choose from. Outdoor weddings can provide you a beautiful desert backdrop for the ceremony while the numerous venues in cities like Albuquerque and Las Cruces offer options for ceremonies big and small. Fees for wedding officiants in New Mexico are dependent on a number of factors, such as how much previous experience the officiant has, whether they’ll be required to travel to the ceremony destination, and how much preparation is involved on their part. The cost of a New Mexico wedding averages around $16,500 -- you might want to consider the couple’s financial commitments when negotiating your price.

New Mexico Marriage Code
Marriage in New Mexico is governed by Article 1 of Chapter 40 of the statutes of the State of New Mexico. Ministers ordained online with the Universal Life Church are permitted to solemnize marriages in New Mexico and have successfully done so thousands of times. Below, you will find that we have reproduced the relevant excerpts of this code.40-1-2. Marriages solemnized; ordained clergy or civil magistrates may solemnize. A. The civil contract of marriage is entered into when solemnized as provided in Chapter 40, Article 1 NMSA 1978. As used in Chapter 40, Article 1 NMSA 1978, "solemnize" means to join in marriage before witnesses by means of a ceremony. B. A person who is an ordained member of the clergy or who is an authorized representative of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or pueblo may solemnize the contract of marriage without regard to sect or rites and customs the person may practice. C. Active or retired judges, justices and magistrates of any of the courts established by the constitution of New Mexico, United States constitution, laws of the state or laws of the United States are civil magistrates having authority to solemnize contracts of marriage . Civil magistrates solemnizing contracts of marriage shall charge no fee therefor. View the New Mexico Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for New Mexico state:
New Mexico Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
Bernalillo County
One Civic Plaza N.W, 6th Floor, Room 6029Albuquerque, New Mexico
87102
Phone: (505) 468-1243
Fax: (505) 468-1294
Bernalillo County website »
Catron County
100 Main StreetReserve, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 533-6400
Fax: (575) 533-6453
Catron County website »
Chaves County
#1 St. Mary’s Place Suite #110Roswell, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 624-6614
Fax: (575) 624-6523
Chaves County website »
Cibola County
700 Roosevelt Ave Suite 50Grants, New Mexico
87020
Phone: (505) 285-2537
Fax: (505) 285-2562
Cibola County website »
Colfax County
230 North 3rd StreetRaton, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 445-5551
Fax: (575) 445-4031
Colfax County website »
Curry County
417 Gidding St., Suite 130Clovis, New Mexico
88101
Phone: (575) 763-5591
Fax: (575) 763-4232
Curry County website »
De Baca County
248 E. Ave CFort Sumner, New Mexico
88119
Phone: (575) 355-2601
Fax: (575) 355-2441
De Baca County website »
Doña Ana County
201 W Picacho AveLas Cruces, New Mexico
88005
Phone: (575) 523-8200
Fax: (575) 527-9857
Doña Ana County website »
Eddy County
325 S Main StreetCarlsbad, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 885-3383
Fax: (575) 234-1793
Eddy County website »
Grant County
1400 Highway 180 EastSilver City, New Mexico
88061
Phone: (575) 574-0043
Fax: (575) 574-0073
Grant County website »
Guadalupe County
1448 Historic Route 66, Suite 1Santa Rosa, New Mexico
88435
Phone: (575) 472-3791
Guadalupe County website »
Harding County
35 Pine StreetMosquero, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 673-2301
Fax: (575) 673-2922
Harding County website »
Hidalgo County
300 ShakespeareLordsburg, New Mexico
88045
Phone: (575) 542-9213
Fax: (575) 542-3193
Hidalgo County website »
Lea County
100 N. Main Avenue, Suite 1CLovington, New Mexico
88260
Phone: (575) 396-8619
Fax: (575) 396-3293
Lea County website »
Lincoln County
300 Central AvenueCarrizozo, New Mexico
88301
Phone: (575) 648-2394 ext 6
Lincoln County website »
Los Alamos
1000 Central Avenue, Suite 240Los Alamos, New Mexico
87544
Phone: (505) 662-8010
Fax: (505) 662-8008
Los Alamos website »
Luna County
700 S. Silver AveDeming, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 546-0491
Fax: (575) 543-6617
Luna County website »
McKinley County
207 West Hill AveGallup, New Mexico
87301
Phone: (505) 863-6866
Fax: (505) 863-1419
McKinley County website »
Mora County
1 Courthouse Rd.Mora, New Mexico
87732
Phone: (575) 387-2448
Fax: (575) 387-9023
Mora County website »
Otero County
1104 N White Sands Blvd, Suite C.Alamogordo, New Mexico
88310
Phone: (575) 437-4942
Fax: (575) 443-2922
Otero County website »
Quay County
300 South Third StreetTucumcari, New Mexico
88401
Phone: (575) 461-0510
Fax: (575) 461-0513
Quay County website »
Rio Arriba County
10 State Road 531Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
87575
Phone: (575) 588-7724
Fax: (575) 588-7418
Rio Arriba County website »
Roosevelt County
109 W 1st StreetPortales, New Mexico
88130
Phone: (575) 356-8562
Fax: (575) 356-3560
Roosevelt County website »
San Juan County
100 S Oliver Dr. Suite 200Aztec, New Mexico
Phone: (505) 334-9471
Fax: (505) 334-3635
San Juan County website »
San Miguel County
500 West National Ave., Suite 113Las Vegas, New Mexico
Phone: (505) 425-9331
Fax: (505) 454-1799
San Miguel County website »
Sandoval County
1500 Idalia Road, Building DBernalillo, New Mexico
Phone: (505) 867-7572
Fax: (505) 771-8610
Sandoval County website »
Santa Fe County
102 Grant AvenueSanta Fe, New Mexico
Phone: (505) 986-6280
Santa Fe County website »
Sierra County
100 N. Date StreetTruth or Consequences, New Mexico
87901
Phone: (575) 894-2840
Sierra County website »
Socorro County
200 Church StSocorro, New Mexico
Phone: (575) 835-0423
Socorro County website »
Taos County
105 Albright Street, Suite DTaos, New Mexico
87571
Phone: (575) 737-6380
Fax: (575) 737-6390
Taos County website »
Torrance County
205 9th StreetEstancia, New Mexico
87016
Phone: (505) 544-4350
Fax: (505) 384-4080
Torrance County website »
Union County
100 Court Street, Suite 2Clayton, New Mexico
88415
Phone: (575) 374-9491
Fax: (575) 374-9591
Union County website »
Valencia County
444 Luna AvenueLos Lunas, New Mexico
87031
Phone: (505) 866-2073
Fax: (505) 866-2015
Valencia County website »