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Wedding  Planning Guide
 

How to Obtain a Marriage License in California
To be married in California, you must obtain a marriage license from the clerk registrar’s office in ANY county in California within 90 days of your marriage date and it may be used in ANY county in California. Please see the list at the end of this section for Registrar’s Offices in Southern California. There are no blood test requirements in California and no waiting period for marriage licenses. There are two types of marriage licenses available in the state of California: Public and Confidential.  Public Licenses are only available from an office of the clerk register in any county.  The requirements for a Public Marriage License are listed below.  Public Marriage Licenses create a public record and allow anyone access to your marriage information now and in the future.

Confidential Marriage License

Confidential Marriage Licenses are available at an office of the clerk register in any county.  In Riverside County they are also available from 15 designated Notary Publics. 

Confidential Marriage Licenses are only available to couples over the age of 18 who have been living together for at least one year.  Confidential Marriage Licenses create a private record of marriage that is only accessible by either party in the marriage or by court order.  The records are sealed now and in the future.  Should anyone other than the couple (including future children) desire access to the marriage record, it can only be obtained through court order.

Public Marriage License

The bride and groom MUST be 18 years of age or older.  If one or both parties are under 18, then a court order for the minor must be obtained before a license can be issued.  This applies to emancipated minors also. (Minors must bring at least one parent to Clerk’s Office to sign consent form after receiving court order.)

The bride and groom MUST come into the office TOGETHER to obtain the marriage license.

The bride and groom MUST have a valid current picture ID in order to obtain a marriage license.  The ID must be government issued.  If the applicant cannot produce one of the following, check with the county for alternative methods of approval. All documents must be in English, or accompanied by an English translation from a certified translator. There are no residency or citizenship requirements. There are additional requirements for applicants who are under the age of 18. 

Acceptable ID includes:

If either party has been married before, you must present the county with the divorce decree or death certificate if the dissolution occurred less than the time specified in the county you are obtaining your license. If the previous marriage was dissolved more than the time specified, you must know the date of dissolution.  In Riverside County the documents must be presented if either party has been married before regardless of the time period.  In Los Angeles County the documents must be presented if the divorce or death was within the last two years.  In San Bernardino County, these documents only have to be presented if the divorce or death was within the last 90 days.  Make sure you check with your county office before arriving.

Public marriage license fees are between $67 and $70 in most counties. Cash, check or money order is accepted, no credit cards.  If you have been living together for over a year, you may be eligible for a confidential marriage license.  Please check with the county for more information.

In southern California you can obtain a license at the following locations.  Make sure you arrive at least an hour early at every location as the process can take an hour or more.  Please verify all information with the county as times may have changed.

PLEASE CHECK WITH EACH COUNTY TO VERIFY REQUIREMENTS & TIMES THEY ARE OPEN!

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Last modified: 08/18/08