To get a marriage license, both people appear together at the county clerk’s office in a county where one of you lives or where the ceremony will happen, present government-issued photo ID and proof that any prior marriages have ended, pay a fee that typically runs between $20 and $115, and walk out with a license you must use before it expires. That is the whole process in most of the country. The pieces that catch people out are the eligibility rules, the documents the clerk will not accept substitutes for, and the deadline printed on the license itself.
Who Can Apply
Both applicants must be at least 18 to marry on their own consent. Roughly 16 states and the District of Columbia have eliminated every exception for minors as of 2025. In states that still allow 16- and 17-year-olds to marry, parental consent or a court order is generally required, and the specific rules vary.
Every state prohibits marriage between parents and children and between siblings. About half the states permit first-cousin marriage; the other half prohibit it or allow it only under narrow conditions such as an age floor or proof the couple cannot have children. Both applicants must also have the mental capacity to consent at the time they apply.
You cannot get a license if either of you is still legally married to someone else. The prior marriage has to be ended by divorce, annulment, or death, and you will need documentation. Applying while still married to another person is bigamy, which is a crime in every state.
What To Bring To The Clerk
Bring originals. Photocopies almost never satisfy government verification, and showing up without the real documents wastes the trip.
- A valid government-issued photo ID for each of you: driver’s license, state ID card, or passport.
- Proof of age, which your photo ID usually covers, though some offices also accept a certified birth certificate.
- Your Social Security number. Federal law requires it to be recorded on the application as part of child support enforcement, though the number typically stays on file with the agency rather than appearing on the license.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 666 – Requirement of Statutorily Prescribed Procedures To Improve Effectiveness of Child Support Enforcement
- If either of you was previously married, a certified copy of the final divorce decree, annulment order, or the former spouse’s death certificate.
The name on your application has to match your ID exactly. Even a middle name versus a middle initial can delay processing. If your legal name has changed since your ID was issued, bring the court order or other paperwork that explains the discrepancy.
You do not need a blood test. Montana was the last state to require one and dropped its rule in 2019. No state requires a blood test or medical exam today.
Where To Apply And Who Has To Show Up
Marriage licenses are issued at the county level, usually by the county clerk, city clerk, or registrar of vital records. Most states let you apply in the county where either of you lives or where the ceremony will take place; some allow any county regardless of residence or ceremony location.
The default is that both of you appear in person at the same time. A clerk reviews your documents, may have you sign or swear to the accuracy of your answers, and processes the application. Some places have modernized. New York City handles the entire process through a virtual video appointment. Other jurisdictions let you complete the application online before an in-person visit, which shortens the counter time considerably. Check your local clerk’s website before assuming you have to walk in cold.
Proxy marriage, where a stand-in appears for an absent applicant, is banned in the vast majority of states. Montana is the exception, allowing it primarily for active-duty military. Utah permits fully virtual ceremonies where neither party is physically present, provided the officiant is in Utah. Outside those narrow situations, both of you have to be there.
Fees, Waiting Periods, And How Long The License Lasts
License fees run from about $20 in states like Michigan and Mississippi to over $100 in Wisconsin, Nevada, and Minnesota. The median falls somewhere in the $40 to $75 range. Most offices accept cash, credit cards, and money orders, sometimes with a small convenience fee for card payments.
A handful of states discount the fee, sometimes by $50 or more, if you complete an approved premarital education course before applying. The same course can also waive a mandatory waiting period where one applies.
Some states impose a waiting period between when the license is issued and when the ceremony can take place. It runs from zero in many states up to 72 hours in a few. If your state has one, ask the clerk whether counseling or another circumstance qualifies for a waiver.
Every license has an expiration date, and letting it lapse means starting over and paying again. Validity windows vary widely. Some states give you 30 days, some give you a full year, and about half land at 60 days. Idaho and Mississippi set no expiration at all. Confirm the date printed on your license and schedule the ceremony well before it runs out.
Getting The Ceremony On The Books
A license only authorizes the marriage. You still need someone legally allowed to perform the ceremony and sign the license. Who qualifies varies by state, but the categories generally include:
- Judges and magistrates, sitting or retired, who can typically perform marriages in any state.
- Clergy members authorized by their faith tradition, including ministers, priests, rabbis, and imams.
- Justices of the peace, available for civil ceremonies in many states.
- Online-ordained ministers through organizations such as Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries, valid in most states, though some counties have pushed back. A few Virginia counties have historically resisted, so call your local clerk before the wedding and confirm they will accept a license signed by an online-ordained officiant.
A small number of states, including Pennsylvania and Colorado, allow self-uniting marriages, where the couple solemnizes their own marriage and two witnesses sign the license in place of an officiant.
After the ceremony the officiant, and typically one or two adult witnesses, sign the license, and the officiant returns it to the issuing clerk within a set deadline. That deadline ranges from about 5 days in some states to 30 days in others. The clerk will not record your marriage until the signed license comes back, and until it is recorded you do not have a legal marriage on file.
Once the clerk processes the returned license, it becomes your marriage certificate, the permanent legal record. The license authorizes the marriage; the certificate proves it happened. Order several certified copies right away for the administrative changes that follow. Certified copies generally cost between $10 and $35 each depending on the jurisdiction.