How Do I get a Marriage License?

If the applicants to be married do not live in Montgomery County and are unable to appear in person to apply, they may apply for a marriage license using a Non-Resident Marriage Application (PDF).

This form must be sworn to under oath and signed before a Clerk of the Court or comparable official where the applicants reside.

Mail this form along with a $55 money order payable to “Clerk of the Court,” to the License Department.

As of October 1, 2022, House Bill 83 established individuals under the age of 17 can no longer marry in the State of Maryland. Individuals age 17 may not marry unless they can provide a certified copy of an Order that grants authorization to the Clerk of the Circuit Court to perform a marriage ceremony. To obtain this Order the individual must petition the court in the county they live in and follow the procedures related to that petition. (See MD Code, Family Law, § 2-301)

Marriage ceremonies are performed by appointment only. If you wish to hold your ceremony at the courthouse, please contact the License Department at 240-777-9460 or in person. You must obtain your marriage license before you may schedule a ceremony. The fee for the ceremony is $25 cash or money order.

Ceremony participants don’t need to take a number. They should arrive ten minutes early. The ceremony takes ten minutes and rings are optional. Witnesses are not needed. MAXIMUM capacity for a civil ceremony is TEN (10) people. Guests should wait in the lobby. You must be on time. Once the ceremony begins, no one is allowed in the ceremony room.

Certified copies of Marriage Licenses from 1993 forward are available from the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

You will need certified copies of your marriage license to use as a legal document of proof of your marriage for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), Social Security Administration, etc. You can make a request at any time for a Certified Copy of your Marriage License by completing the attached request (PDF) and sending it to the License Department.

If you are getting married at the court, you can purchase a certified copy of your marriage when you pay for the civil ceremony.

The cost of a Certified Copy is $5.50; a Non-Certified copy costs $.50.

For certified copies of Marriage Licenses before 1990 please contact the Maryland Archives at 410-260-6400 or online.

For copies of marriage licenses for marriages on or after January 1, 1990, contact the Maryland Vital Statistics Administration at 800-832-3277 or online.

If incorrect information was given at the time of your marriage application, then you must file a request to correct a marriage record, with supporting documentation, with the Family Department along with a fee of $165. The Family Department will open a new suit, and it will be sent to the judge for an order to be issued.

If a couple has been married in another state or country and one of the parties is a citizen of Maryland, the couple may record the marriage ("foreign marriage") at the License Department. The parties must provide a certificate of marriage signed by the individual who performed the marriage or an official certified copy of the marriage record. There is no fee to record a foreign marriage.

Visit the U.S. Passports & International Travel page for information about planning for a marriage in a foreign country.

Fees for each of the following, except for ceremonies, may be paid in cash, money order, or Visa/Mastercard (credit cards can only be used when visiting the court in person). Personal Checks and American Express are not accepted.

• Marriage License (Resident/Non-Resident): $55.00 – NO REFUNDS
• Civil Ceremony (if being done at the court): $25.00 (cash or money order)
• Duplicate License (replacement license prior to marriage): $10.00
• Copy of License (non-certified): $.50