Getting married in Florida

Adults 18 or older ordinarily apply together at a county clerk's office with government-issued photo ID.

If either applicant lives in Florida, allow three days unless both complete a qualifying premarital course. If both are nonresidents, there is no waiting period.

$86 is a common license application fee. Orange and Broward both list $86, or $61 with qualifying course proof. Course charges, payment surcharges, and a clerk ceremony are separate.

Find your county

Before the ceremony

The application, dates, officiant, and place.

Application requirements and fee examples reviewed September 15, 2026. Orange adds $3.50 for a credit-card payment; Broward lists $30 for a clerk-performed ceremony.

Clerk

Bring photo ID and the application details

For an ordinary adult application, both applicants attend together with valid government photo ID showing their legal name, birth date, and signature, such as a driver license or passport. Have your Social Security numbers ready if issued, plus the date any prior marriage ended. Both applicants must read the Family Law Handbook and sign the acknowledgment; the clerk supplies the application and appointment options.

Miami-Dade's application requirements

Timing

Bring course proof to waive the resident wait

Both applicants complete at least four hours with a qualified provider registered with the issuing clerk, within one year before applying, and present valid completion certificates with the application. The course is optional; its charge is separate from the license fee. The ceremony must fall on or after the license's effective date and within 60 days of issuance.

Florida premarital-course requirements

Ceremony

Confirm the officiant fits Florida law

Florida law names clergy, judicial officers, clerks of circuit court, and Florida notaries among the people who may perform a marriage. Confirm the person and the license before the ceremony, especially when a friend is involved.

Florida officiant law

Place

The venue can have a separate rule

A beach, park, courthouse, rental, hotel, historic site, or public space may have its own permit, reservation, guest, parking, cleanup, or weather rules. The marriage license does not reserve the place.

Check local permits

The useful order

One clean file from application to recorded copy.

1.Pick the clerk.

You can apply in any Florida county and use the license anywhere in Florida. Choose the issuing clerk's appointment or walk-in option and complete its application.
2.Set the license dates.

Allow the three-day resident wait unless valid course certificates or a legal waiver remove it. Use the effective and expiration dates printed on the license to set the ceremony date.
3.Confirm the ceremony.

Match the Florida license with a person authorized to perform the ceremony. Then settle the venue, local permission, and weather backup.
4.Get the license returned.

The person who performs the ceremony completes the certificate and returns it to the issuing clerk within 10 days. Ask how you will know it was recorded.
5.Order the copy you need.

For a recent ceremony, the issuing clerk is usually the first stop. Florida Vital Statistics also issues recorded marriage certificates after the state file catches up.
6.Change records only if you choose to.

A marriage does not update names, IDs, payroll, insurance, benefits, voter records, titles, or accounts by itself. Keep a certified copy before starting that trail.

Different situations

The same license path can have a different first question.

Florida residents

If either applicant lives in Florida, the usual three-day clock starts when you complete the clerk application, not when you save an online pre-application. Florida law also allows limited hardship or good-cause waivers.

Visitors and destination weddings

Florida residence and U.S. citizenship are not required. When both applicants are nonresidents, there is no three-day wait. The license still needs to be issued before the ceremony and used within its printed dates.

Someone is 17

The under-18 path is narrow. Florida law requires written parent or guardian consent for a 17-year-old, and the older person may not be more than two years older. Start with the clerk before making plans.

A prior marriage ended

Have the date your last marriage ended ready for the application. The issuing clerk's application lists any additional prior-marriage details or documents needed for your circumstances.

After the ceremony

A new name is optional. The record updates are not automatic.

Keep the recorded marriage document before changing accounts. Then work in an order that lets each office see the same name trail.

1. Get a recorded or certified marriage document that shows the name trail you plan to use.
2. Update Social Security first. The Social Security Administration will tell you whether the request can start online or needs an appointment.
3. Wait for the federal record to update. FLHSMV says to allow 24 to 48 hours before changing a Florida driver license or ID.
4. Update the Florida license or ID, then the title and registration. FLHSMV says both record groups should be updated within 30 days after a name change.
5. Then update the other records that apply to you. They may include payroll, voting, a passport, banks, insurance, benefits, licenses, and property records.

Start with Social Security Florida motorist name changes

FAQ

Florida marriage-license quick answers

Where do we get a Florida marriage license?

Apply through a Florida county clerk of circuit court. For the ordinary adult application, both applicants are 18 or older and attend together with valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver license or passport. Have Social Security numbers ready if issued and the date any prior marriage ended; both applicants also read and acknowledge the Family Law Handbook.

How much is a Florida marriage license?

$86 is a common license application fee. Orange and Broward counties both publish $86, or $61 with qualifying premarital-course proof. Both applicants need valid completion certificates for a course of at least four hours, taken within one year before applying through a provider registered with the issuing clerk. Course charges, payment surcharges, and a clerk-performed ceremony are separate; Broward lists $30 for its ceremony.

Does the license have to come from the ceremony county?

No. A Florida marriage license can be used anywhere in Florida, even when another Florida county issued it. Return the completed license to the clerk that issued it and use that clerk for a recent recorded copy.

Does Florida have a three-day waiting period?

If either applicant is a Florida resident, the usual delay is three days after completing the clerk application. Both applicants can avoid it by presenting valid certificates from a qualifying premarital course with the application. If both are nonresidents, there is no three-day waiting period. Florida law also provides limited hardship and good-cause waivers.

How long is a Florida marriage license valid?

Florida law gives the license a 60-day window after issuance. The ceremony can happen only on or after the effective date printed on the license.

Can a Florida notary perform the ceremony?

A Florida notary is among the people Florida law authorizes to perform a marriage. Confirm the notary's current Florida commission, the Florida license, and the ceremony details before the wedding.

Where do we get proof after the wedding?

Start with the clerk that issued the license, especially when the ceremony was recent. Florida Vital Statistics also offers marriage certificates after the clerk records the license and the state file is updated.

Does marriage change a name automatically?

No. A person may keep the same name. If someone chooses a new name, keep a certified marriage document and update each record separately, starting with Social Security before FLHSMV.

Next steps

Related directory paths

The next page depends on the county, venue, record, or account you need to settle.

Your Town

Find the county

Start with the place page, then open the county and local-office path.

Find your place ->

Local offices

Find the right office

Clerks, recorded documents, permits, property offices, and other local records.

Open finder ->

Venue

Check permits and local records

Public space, beach, park, building, reservation, and local permission paths.

Open permit guide ->

Records

Address and account changes

Mail, motorist, voting, property, insurance, benefits, and local account updates.

Open checklist ->

Official checks

Marriage-license and record sources

Florida law sets the statewide frame. The issuing county clerk controls the application process, and the venue or local manager controls the place.

Last reviewed: July 21, 2026

Use this carefully: Check the issuing clerk before paying, traveling, choosing an application date, relying on an officiant, or ordering a copy. County procedures and appointment options can change even when the state law stays the same.

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