MarriageLicenseCheck

San Diego County marriage license

Issued by the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the Recorder | County Clerk

To marry in San Diego County, you apply to the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the Recorder | County Clerk. There, both applicants must appear together and there is no residency requirement.

Fee
$129 public license / $144 confidential license
Waiting period
NoneMarry the same day
License valid
90 daysFrom issuance
Both must appear
YesTogether, at the same time

Reviewed July 26, 20263 official sourcesSee sources

Where to apply

San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the Recorder | County Clerk

Apply online
Yes

The online form is an application form only — it speeds up the appointment, it does not issue anything. Both parties must still appear together at a booked appointment to be issued the license. A printable application, in English or Spanish, may be brought to the appointment instead.

Official requirement

These are application forms only. You must make an appointment to purchase and be issued your marriage license prior to your ceremony.

Apply in person
Yes

Licenses are issued at the County Administration Center and at the Chula Vista, San Marcos and Santee offices. Appointments open up to seven weeks ahead and fill quickly; marriage appointments are also offered one Saturday a month.

Official requirement

Our office issues marriage licenses and performs civil ceremonies by appointment only.

When to apply

We will work out when you can apply. We never ask for names, dates of birth or any other personal detail.

Who must appear

Both applicants
Yes

One exception is published: an active-duty member of the U.S. armed forces stationed overseas in a conflict or a war who cannot appear may marry through a military proxy commissioned by power of attorney. The original power of attorney must be notarised or witnessed by two officers of the U.S. armed forces and becomes part of the registered marriage certificate.

Official requirement

Both parties must appear together at their appointment.

Residency
There is no residency requirement. The office states that neither San Diego County nor California imposes one, and that no blood test is required either.

One residency-linked service exists but is separate: the office will acknowledge Maryland's Non-Resident Marriage License Application Affidavit only if both parties are San Diego County residents.

Official requirement

There is no residency requirement.

Identification and personal information

We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.

Identification
  • A current driver's license (no temporary or interim extensions accepted)
  • A current passport
  • A current military identification card
  • A current state identification card

Both parties must present valid, current government-issued photo identification. If the ID is expired the license cannot be issued.

Official requirement

You will be required to present valid government-issued photo ID.

Social Security number

This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.

Neither the marriage-license page nor the published application form states a Social Security number requirement.

Not published by this office
Age
Both parties must be 18 years old or older.

A confidential license carries the same minimum: the application form states it may be issued only to unmarried parties who are at least 18 and living together as spouses.

Official requirement

Both parties must be 18 years old or older.

Applicants under 18
An applicant under 18 must obtain approval from the San Diego County Juvenile Court before a license can be issued. The office directs applicants to contact the court on (858) 634-1600, and links to the court's juvenile marriage-license page.
Applies in some cases

If either party is under 18 years of age, you must contact the San Diego County Juvenile Court at (858) 634-1600 for approval.

Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended
Both parties must be unmarried at the time the license is issued. If a dissolution is not yet final no license will be issued, even if it will be final before the wedding date. If a divorce or a termination of domestic partnership became final within the last 90 days, bring the final judgment or termination documents bearing the judge's signature and date. A person in a State Registered Domestic Partnership may not be issued a license with anyone other than the registered partner unless that partnership has been terminated or a final judgment of dissolution or nullity has been entered.

The office does not hold divorce records; copies of San Diego decrees come from the San Diego Superior Court.

Applies in some cases

If the dissolution was final within the past 90 days, please provide a copy of the final judgement.

Fee and payment

Fee
$129 public license / $144 confidential license

Separate published fees: a civil ceremony performed by the County Clerk is $107, a witness supplied by the County Clerk is $58, and a certified copy of the marriage certificate is $19. Card payments carry a $2.50 surcharge. License fees are non-refundable, including for a license bought in error or left unused.

Official requirement

$129 Public Marriage License $144 Confidential Marriage License

Payment methods
  • Cash
  • Check
  • Money order
  • Credit or debit card

An additional $2.50 surcharge applies to card payments. Checks and money orders must be made payable to San Diego Recorder/County Clerk.

Official requirement

Fees are payable by cash, check or money order, or credit/debit card.

Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period
None

The office publishes this directly rather than leaving it to be inferred: the license is effective the day it is issued, and its own application form adds that you must be married on or after the issuance date.

Official requirement

Parties can get married as soon as the marriage license is issued.

Waiver

This does not apply here.

There is no waiting period, so there is nothing to waive. The office states directly that a couple may marry as soon as the license is issued.

Not applicable here

Parties can get married as soon as the marriage license is issued.

License expires
90 days

No extensions are granted. A license not used inside the 90 days is void and a new license must be bought; fees are not refunded.

Official requirement

Marriage licenses expire after 90 calendar days from the issue date.

Where it is valid
The ceremony must take place within the State of California. Both license types carry the same reach — the office states that the ceremony for a public license and for a confidential license can take place anywhere in California. The office registers only licenses that it issued in San Diego County.

The office also acknowledges Maryland's Non-Resident Marriage License Application Affidavit for San Diego County residents marrying in Maryland, but that is a separate Maryland process and does not extend a California license out of state.

Official requirement

A ceremony must take place within 90 days of the license issuance and within the State of California.

Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses
Public (non-confidential) license: at least one witness must be present at the ceremony, and no more than two witnesses may sign the license. Confidential license: no witness is required at the ceremony and no witness signs the license. Witnesses have no minimum age, but must be old enough to know they are witnessing a marriage ceremony and must be able to sign their own name without assistance. Witnesses should not attend a license-only appointment; for a County Clerk civil ceremony you may bring your own witness or have one provided for $58.

A witness is not the same as a guest. Outdoor ceremonies have no guest limit; indoor ceremonies are capped at 15 to 30 guests depending on the office.

Official requirement

For a Public Marriage License, you must have at least one witness present at your ceremony. No more than two witnesses sign the official marriage license. For a Confidential Marriage License, no witnesses are required to be at your ceremony. No witnesses sign on the marriage license.

Officiant
The ceremony must be performed by someone authorised to solemnize marriages in California. The County Clerk performs civil ceremonies by appointment for $107, indoors or outdoors, but only in English or Spanish — staff will not perform a ceremony in another language because they could not confirm what is being said. A friend or relative can be deputised to officiate anywhere in California through the office's Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day programme. Outside décor, backdrops, arches, furniture, live or amplified music, item-tossing and alcohol are not permitted at County Clerk ceremony locations.

The two steps the office publishes are: obtain a license before the ceremony, and have the ceremony officiated by someone authorised to solemnize marriages.

Official requirement

You must do two things to be legally married: 1) Obtain a marriage license before having a ceremony; and 2) Have a ceremony that is officiated by someone authorized to solemnize marriages.

Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony
After the ceremony the officiant must sign the license and return it to the office for registration. The office recommends returning the completed license within 10 days of the ceremony. Registration may take up to 10 business days, and the office registers only licenses it issued in San Diego County.

A marriage certificate is not sent automatically once the license is registered — it must be requested and paid for separately.

Official requirement

After the ceremony, the marriage license must be signed by your officiant and returned to our office for registration. Registering the license may take up to 10 business days.

Processing
The license is issued at the in-person appointment, and the couple may marry as soon as it is issued. After the signed license is returned, a certified copy of the marriage certificate is usually available to buy about 10 business days from the day the office received the license.

A certified copy of the marriage certificate costs $19 and must be requested separately. Copies of a public marriage record may go to certain authorised people including certain family members; copies of a confidential marriage record go only to the two registrants or to someone holding a court order, and anyone else may receive only a letter confirming the existence of a marriage.

Official requirement

A certified copy of the marriage certificate may be available for purchase approximately 10 business days from the time the marriage license was received by our office.

Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page

Access and language

Published notes
  • The County of San Diego states it is committed to its webpages meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA, aligned with the Department of Justice rule updating Title II of the ADA
  • American Sign Language interpretation can be arranged for license and ceremony appointments; the office asks for at least two weeks' notice and warns that appointments may need rescheduling around interpreter availability
  • Appointment scheduling and the printable marriage license application are published in Spanish, and County Clerk civil ceremonies are performed in English or Spanish
  • Website accessibility problems can be reported to webmaster@sdcounty.ca.gov, and ADA complaints filed through the Office of Ethics and Compliance
Official requirement

The County of San Diego is committed to its webpages meeting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA.

Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in San Diego County?
The fee is $129 public license / $144 confidential license, set by the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the Recorder | County Clerk.
Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in San Diego County?
No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
How long is a San Diego County marriage license valid?
The license is valid for 90 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
Do both partners have to appear in person in San Diego County?
Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.
Do we have to be residents to marry in San Diego County?
There is no residency requirement. The office states that neither San Diego County nor California imposes one, and that no blood test is required either.

Each answer restates the verified rule above; the official wording and sources are in the numbered sections.

Sources and reviewed date

Every fact above is quoted from one of these pages. Reviewed July 26, 2026.

  1. Marriage License & Civil CeremonySan Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  2. Application for License and Certificate of Marriage (MAR590)San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  3. Website accessibility - County of San DiegoCounty of San Diego · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26

Recorded conflicts

  • Return deadline: the office's overview says the signed license "must be signed by your officiant and returned to our office for registration" without naming a deadline, while its FAQ says "It is recommended to return the completed marriage license to the County Recorder's Office within 10 days after the marriage ceremony". Recorded as the office publishes it — a recommendation, not a stated deadline. Couples should not treat the 10 days as optional without checking, as California law sets a return duty on the officiant.
  • No state-level source was needed for the waiting period. Unlike Los Angeles County, San Diego County publishes the answer on its own site ("Parties can get married as soon as the marriage license is issued"), corroborated by its own application form ("You must be married on or after the issuance date"), so the field is recorded at issuing-authority level.
  • The appointment scheduler runs on a third-party booking platform rather than a government host, so appointment_url is left null; the scheduling links sit on the office's own Marriage License & Civil Ceremony page.

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