State of Florida Marriage license applications made easy!
Out of state licenses are not valid, you must have a Florida Marriage License to marry in Florida
Applicant must be eighteen years old to obtain a marriage license.
Sixteen and seventeen year olds must have both parent’s consent.
If you are younger, parent’s consent/consent of a County Judge, and proven pregnancy may apply, depending on the age and situation. Both applicants must appear in person at the time of application.
Identification
Applicant’s must provide a valid picture-type ID, with date of birth shown. (Driver’s License, Passport, Student ID Card, Military ID, or Alien Registration Card.) There is no residence or citizenship requirement.
Prior Marriages
If either applicant has been previously married, the exact date of the last death, divorce, or annulment must be provided.
Time Limit
If both parties are out of state residents, there is no waiting period.
The license must be used within sixty (60) days from the “effective date”.
If one or both of the parties are Florida residents, there is a three (3) day waiting period from the date of issue, before the marriage ceremony may take place.
If only one of the couple is a Florida resident and the Florida resident takes the course, there is no waiting period.
Florida residents can be waived of the three day waiting period if both parties attend a premarital class and present certification of the attendance to the clerk at the time of application. There is no waiting period. This class must be taken thru an authorized provider listed in Monroe County. Original certificate of completion is required at time of application. The clerk of court has a provider list available.
Solemnization
A marriage may be performed by regularly ordained clergy, judiciary, State of Florida notaries, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Deputy Clerks.
Witnesses
In Florida, witnesses are not specifically required by law for a marriage license. However, it is recommended that two witnesses sign the marriage license in addition to the notary. Although the marriage certificate provides spaces for two witnesses to sign, their signatures are not mandatory.
Recording of license
After the marriage, the person who performed the ceremony must return the license, within ten (10) days, to the marriage license section, where it will then be recorded in the Official Records.
Until that license is received, there is no record of the marriage. After recording, a certified copy will be returned to the newlyweds, by mail.
The original license is sent to the Office Of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville. The process takes approximately 4 - 6 weeks.