According to 8 CMC § 1202 (a) the mayors are authorized to grant a license for marriage and to collect $25 upon the filing of an application for a marriage license.
On May 3, 2008, through Public Law 16-2, the application fee was increased to $50.
In his report to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Affairs, Saipan Mayor Donald G. Flores said current law mandates that the application fee must be remitted to the Commonwealth Treasurer.
“The costs related to the processing of a marriage application, preserving of record, and providing a copy of a certificate to the Superior Court are solely the Office of the Mayor of Saipan’s,” he said.
In addition to the administrative cost of processing an application for a marriage license, the mayor said his office is also mandated to preserve marriage records.
He said his office is mandated to send a copy of a marriage certificate to the clerk of court of the CNMI Superior Court no later than 10 days after the ceremony.
“These mandates add to the cost related to the administrative processing of a marriage license, which cost is not funded by the general fund,” Flores said.
He noted that his office was able to generate $11,260 from marriage application fees as of August this year.
The mayor’s office received 158 applications of marriage from January to August while the governor’s office received 10 applications during the same period.
