Questions to ask before you apply for a marriage license
Checked against USAGov's marriage certificate page, CDC's vital records directory and an official page for every state and DC on 2026-10-07. Rules are set by each state and its local offices; their current instructions win.
Questions only: the answers depend on the state and often the county, town or court office. Find the office through our state links and copy each answer in its words, with the date you read it.
Finding the office
Which office issues licenses where our ceremony will take place: a state office, a county clerk or recorder, a city or town clerk, or a court clerk?
Can we apply online, by appointment or by walking in? Do both of us need to be there?
Before you apply
What does the office ask each of us to bring or provide? Originals or certified copies?
What does it ask about any previous marriage?
What does the license cost, and how can we pay?
Does the page state any waiting time before the license can be used, or a date it expires?
Can the license be used anywhere in the state, or only in one county or town?
The ceremony and after
Who may perform the ceremony? Does the officiant need to register?
Are witnesses needed? Who signs the license, and who returns it, how and by when?
How do we order certified copies, and from which office?
Keep a record
The kit turns these questions into worksheets: an issuing office page notes form, a documents checklist for both of you, and a log of every answer with who gave it and when.
Not legal advice. You can do every official step yourself, directly with the office that issues marriage licenses. State vital records pages, county, town and court clerk pages, the CDC's directory of vital records offices and USAGov's marriage certificate page are free to read. This kit is a paid planning convenience, not a requirement; you don't need it to get married.
Instant download. 14-day no-questions refund. Edition 1.0, dated 2026-10-07. For a marriage license in any U.S. state or DC; each office's own rules you read on its own pages.