Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-34 (2025)

(a) Each person who joins any person in marriage shall certify upon the license certificate the fact, time and place of the marriage, and return it to the registrar of the town where the marriage took place, before or during the first week of the month following the marriage. Any person who fails to do so shall be fined not more than ten dollars.

(b) If any person fails to return the certificate to the registrar, as required under subsection (a) of this section, the persons joined in marriage may provide the registrar with a notarized affidavit attesting to the fact that they were joined in marriage and stating the date and place of the marriage. Upon the recording of such affidavit by the registrar, the marriage of the affiants shall be deemed to be valid as of the date of the marriage stated in the affidavit.

(1949 Rev., S. 7304; P.A. 78-230, S. 15, 54; P.A. 02-71, S. 5; P.A. 04-255, S. 27.)

History: P.A. 78-230 restated provisions but made no substantive changes; Sec. 46-7 transferred to Sec. 46b-34 in 1979; P.A. 02-71 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re use of affidavit where certificate not returned to registrar, effective June 3, 2002; P.A. 04-255 amended Subsec. (a) to require that certificate be returned to town where marriage took place, rather than to town of issuance.

Annotations to former section 46-7:

A certificate of marriage is an original document and need not be authenticated as a copy. 52 C. 526; 57 C. 537; 61 C. 507. When proof depends on validity of form of certificate, same rule prevails in civil and criminal proceedings. Id., 509. Use of abbreviation not fatal to validity of certificate. Id., 507. Signature on marriage certificate not tantamount to solemnization. 163 C. 588.

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