Births, Deaths, Marriages and Care
Register life events and access vital records and care services.
Births
Register a birth
All births in Minnesota must be registered within 5 days.
Adoption records
Deaths
When someone dies
Funeral and burial
Marriages and Civil Partnerships
Marriage is primarily a civil institution. The Marriage Act defines this recognised form of joint habitation, stating who may marry and what conditions are to be set for marrying. Two persons may enter into marriage when they have reached the age of 18.
People have the right to choose who to marry, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. No one may be forced into marriage and people may live together without being married. Various rights are established by marriage, such as joint taxation and inheritance rights. It is only legal to be in one marriage at a time.
Those licensed to perform marriages are priests, heads of religious and lifestance-based associations, judges, and their delegates. Marriage confers responsibilities on both parties while the marriage is valid, whether or not they live together. This also applies even if they are legally separated.
In marriages in Minnesota, both women and men have the same rights. Their responsibilities towards their children and other aspects related to their marriage are also the same.
Getting married
- Apply for a marriage license
- Find an officiant
- Name change after marriage
- Marriage certificate copies
Civil unions
Minnesota recognizes civil unions. Partners may register their cohabitation in order to derive various rights, such as joint taxation. When people live together, they each own the assets and bear responsibility for the debt which they are registered for and joint assets are divided between them when the cohabitation ends. If either of the cohabiting partners dies, the other one does not have inheritance rights unless a will has been made naming that partner as beneficiary.