Marriage Licenses

Marriage Licenses

New:  Now you can save time by completing your marriage application at home.  Log onto our new web-based application to begin: Online Marriage Application 

First complete the online application, then both you and your fiancé can come into our office together to confirm, sign, pay and get on your way…

You may obtain a marriage license from the Marion County Clerk & Recorder’s Office at:

1. Complete the Marriage License online to save time.  If you are not able to complete the application online, print out and complete the "Marriage Worksheet" found in a link near the bottom of this page, or fill one out when you arrive at our office.

2. Both parties must appear in person to complete the application.  Hours for obtaining a marriage license are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.  The fee for the license is $60.00.  We accept cash, check, or credit/debit cards (paying with a card will incur an additional fee of $2.50). 

3. Certified copies are $4.00 each.  They can be pre-ordered at the time you obtain the license or purchased after the license is returned to our office after the ceremony.

There is a 3-day* waiting period from the day you pay the fee and receive the license until the license is valid to use. Once the license is valid, you have 60 days to have a ceremony performed anywhere within the State of Oregon. Licenses obtained at our office are not valid to be used outside of Oregon. NO TIME EXTENSIONS OR REFUNDS ARE MADE ONCE A LICENSE IS ISSUED. 

*Waiving the 3-day waiting period

If you need to have the 3-day waiting period waived, you must request this waiver before the license is issued.  There is no charge for a waiver in Marion County. 

Note about Parents' Information on worksheet:

Parental names should be complete (first, middle, last) and should be reflective of the name they were born with.  Parents’ birthplaces can be state and/or country.

ID Requirements 

Photo ID is required for both parties at the time they apply for their marriage license.

The legal age for marriage in the State of Oregon for both parties is 18.

A 17-year-old can be married if the parent or guardian gives consent.  The parent or guardian must complete a consent form at the time the parties make application for their marriage license and provide a valid ID AND birth certificate proving parentage or court documents proving guardianship. 

Issuance After a Divorce or Dissolution of Domestic Partnership

The final divorce or dissolution of Domestic Partnership date is required on the marriage license application.  A marriage license cannot become valid until the day after the divorce or dissolution is final, and a three-day waiting period is still required from the date of application until the license can be used.

Licenses Not Issued

Oregon State law does not allow the marriage of first cousins or nearer kin.

Note

Marion County interprets ORS 106.150 “in the presence of” to mean that both parties, the officiant, and 2 witnesses must be physically in the same room/space throughout the entire ceremony.

Duplicate License

If an issued license is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced by the County Clerk.  The fee for a duplicate license packet is $10.00.  The decorative certificate can be replaced for a fee of $1.00.

Certified Copy

Once the marriage has taken place, and the completed marriage license is returned to the County Clerk, an official "certified" copy of the license can be obtained from the County Clerk for $4.00 (each additional copy is an additional $4.00). The certified document is considered the "legal" copy, and can be used to change names on such items as your driver's license, social security card, passport etc.

To save yourself some time, you can complete ourRequest for Certified Copy of Marriage License form and send it to us with payment and we’ll send them to you at the address you list.

If you need them quickly, please feel free to call ahead - we can often have them prepared and ready for you to pick up here in our office when you arrive.

Online Marriage Application

Please complete the online marriage application before coming to our office.  If you do not have access to a computer, please call our office for instructions.

The online application form is recommended and may be completed at your own pace and wherever you wish, you use it on any web-enabled device.  Just go to our Online Marriage App.  If you do not have access to a computer, please call our office for instructions.   You will both need to come into our office in person together to sign, show valid identification, provide your social security information and pay the fee.  The online application helps you get most of the paperwork done before you get to our office – saving you a considerable amount of time.

Note about Last Name Taken After Marriage:

Oregon law limits the possible name change options when getting married.  Please review the options below before selecting your name taken after marriage.

(a) Retain the party's middle name, if any, and surname prior to the marriage;

(b) Retain the party's middle name, if any, and change the party's surname to the surname of the other party;

(c) Either retain or remove the party's middle name, if any, and change the party's surname to one surname or a combination of surnames, or names within the surnames, of either or both parties, with or without a hyphen;

(d) Change the party's middle name, if any, to the party's surname at birth or prior to the marriage; or

(e) Add to the party's middle name, if any, the party's surname at birth or prior to the marriage and change the party's surname to the surname of the other party.