Marriage License

Applying for a License

You can apply for a marriage license in any Minnesota county if you are both 18 and will be married in Minnesota. You don’t need to live in that county or in the State of Minnesota. You do not need to be an American citizen. The marriage license is valid anywhere in the State of Minnesota. A list of the locations where a marriage license can be purchased is listed below. You can also go on the Internet and check the county websites for forms and information. The county websites are all like this – www.co.hennepin.mn.us – just substitute your county’s name for Hennepin.

Apply Together in Person

Both parties are required to apply together in person. However, if one party cannot be present, the absent person can sign an application form and have his or her signature notarized. Discuss this with the license center staff. Once this notarized application is received, the Marriage License will be issued.

Submit Your Information in Advance Online

Hennepin County allows you to submit your information online. Once you submit it, you get a confirmation number. Then, when the two of you show up to apply, just give the clerk your confirmation number and your application is ready to sign. Both of you must still be there to sign.

Information Required

You will need this information – full names before and after marriage, addresses, social security numbers, dates and places of birth. If either, or both, are divorced, you will need to know the date and county where the divorce was granted. Identification requirements vary in each county. A valid driver’s license, photo I.D., or certified copy of a birth certificate may be requested. Call for information before you go to the license center.

Special Conditions

If either applicant is under 18, or has a criminal felony conviction, special requirements may apply. Call the location where you will apply for more information.

Cost

Effective August 1st 2010, the license fee is $115.00. It’s best to take cash or a credit card, if the license office accepts credit cards. If you pay by check, some counties may require a delay of three weeks before they will issue a Marriage License. The $115.00 fee can be reduced to $40.00 with 12 hours of premarital counseling.

Premarital Counseling

Premarital counseling is not required, but a reduced marriage license fee of $40.00 is available if you have had 12 hours of premarital counseling. Request further information at the license office. Most counties have the reduced fee form on their website.

No Blood Test is Required.

So applying for a Marriage License isn’t like going to the Doctor.

No Waiting Period after August 1st 2016

Until August 1st 2016, there is a minimum five-day waiting period after the day of application. If one party has a felony conviction, and is requesting a name change, there is a 30 day waiting period. In some counties there is a 21 day delay if you pay by check – ask before you write the check. The five day waiting period can be waived by a District Judge. The Judge who waives the five-days cannot perfrom your marriage.

Effective August 1st 2016, the law is changed. Marriage Licenses will be issued immediately with no five-day delay. The Governor signed the Bill on May 22nd 2016 and it will become the law on August 1st, 2016.

How long is a marriage license good for?

Your license will be valid in any Minnesota County for six months after it’s issued. Once the six months have past from the date of issue, if you haven’t gotten married, you need to return to the issuing office and turn in your marriage license for cancellation. The new August 1st 2016 law allows you to have it reissued free with a new six month period of validity.

What if I lose or misplace the license?

A marriage license can be reissued. Some counties may charge a fee for doing this.

Marital Name Changes

If you intend to change your name at the time of marriage you will indicate this on the application for your marriage license. Judge Armstrong is required to file the completed Certificate of Marriage with the county that issued the license. That county will then mail you a certified copy, and you can use the certified copy for changing your name. Your social security information, driver’s license, passport, etc. will all have to be changed.

Can both Spouses change their names?

The wording of Minnesota Statute 517.08 subd. 1a. (9) has been interpreted differently in each county in the Twin City area. Some counties only allow the couple to adopt one or both of their two last names. Some counties, including Anoka, Ramsey, and Washington County, allow a couple to choose an altogether different name and to change their first and middle names too.

Before you buy your marriage license, be sure that your choice of names is acceptable to that county. A marriage license can be purchased in any county in Minnesota and the ceremony can then be performed anywhere in the State. Shop around until your proposed name change is acceptable; and then purchase your license in that county. Call the license office first.

How do I prove that my name has been changed?

After August 1st 2009, Minnesota only requires the County to issue a marriage license document and an original fill-in-the-blank marriage certificate – with no copies. Judge Armstrong will complete the paperwork on your wedding day.

How many fill-in-the-blank copies of the Certificate you will get depends on the county from which you purchased your marriage license. Hennepin and Ramsey give the original and two “souvenier” copies. Anoka, Washington, Carver, and Dakota only give the original certificate.

These “souvenir” copies are really duplicate originals. If you get a signed “souvenier” copy, keep it safe until you get the certified copy in the mail. If the original were to get lost in the mail, you may be able to file the “souvenier” copy because it’s more than a “souvenier,” it’s really a duplicate original. However some Counties don’t accept the “souvenir” copy and a new original would then have to be issued and circulated for signatures.

On the day of your marriage ceremony, Judge Armstrong will give you one or two signed “souvenier” copies of the marriage certificate – or Tom may only have the original. He will take the Original with him to be filed – and you don’t get any documents on your wedding day. It depends on how many blank certificates the county gave you – they are only required to give you the Original.

After the marriage ceremony, Tom is required to mail the Original signed marriage certificate to the county from which it was purchased. Approximately two to three weeks after the date of marriage, the county will mail a certified copy of the marriage certificate to the address listed on the application. This certified copy has a certification stamp and a raised seal. You can obtain additional certified copies at any time from any county in Minnesota for a fee of $9.00 each. A certified copy is all that is legally required as proof of your marriage and your new name.