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District of Columbia exact answer

Do both applicants have to appear in District of Columbia?

This answer belongs to the issuing office and task named above. It does not substitute a statewide summary or infer a rule the office does not publish.

Direct answer

Yes. Both applicants must appear as the office describes in District of Columbia. The Bureau publishes a both-parties rule only for couples who officiate their own ceremony: both must be present to collect the license, and both must apply in person when seeking authorisation to self-officiate. No blanket in-person appearance rule is published for couples using another officiant, and the Bureau states that it also processes applications remotely. Confirm with the Bureau before travelling.

Published rule and conditions

Applicant appearance rule
Yes

The Bureau publishes a both-parties rule only for couples who officiate their own ceremony: both must be present to collect the license, and both must apply in person when seeking authorisation to self-officiate. No blanket in-person appearance rule is published for couples using another officiant, and the Bureau states that it also processes applications remotely. Confirm with the Bureau before travelling.

Applies in some cases

If self, both parties must be present when picking up license

Issuing office

Marriage Bureau, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

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Official sources for this answer

  • MarriageSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Marriage Bureau - checked July 30, 2026

    The marriage license application fee is $45.00 ($35 of this fee will be waived if the applicant's’ original DC Domestic Partnership Certificate and is presented at the time of application). All fees must be paid in cash or credit card or by check or money order (made payable to: "Clerk, DC Superior Court"). Once issued, a marriage license does not expire. All parties — both the parties to the wedding and the person performing the wedding — must be physically present in the District of Columbia at the time of the ceremony. The minimum age for marriage in the District of Columbia is 18.

  • Marriage License ApplicationSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Marriage Bureau - checked July 26, 2026

    If an officiant/self will perform the ceremony, please provide the following information (If self, both parties must be present when picking up license). Proof of age for the applicants must be shown and may be demonstrated by driver's licenses, government-issued non driver's ID, or passports. Was this person previously married? If previously married, how did the marriage end? If divorced, where was decree obtained?

Answer boundary

MarriageLicenseCheck is an independent reference, not the issuing office or legal advice. Applicant facts, timing, prior marriages, and document type can change the result. The official office decides what it will accept.

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