Monroe County marriage license
To marry in Monroe County, you apply to the Monroe County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. There, there is no residency requirement.
Not yet fully reviewedWhat is shown below is verified against the issuing authority, but at least one requirement is not published or not yet confirmed, so treat this page as a starting point.
- Fee
- $86$61 with proof of a completed premarital class — stated by the Clerk for couples where both applicants are Florida residents
- Waiting period
- 3 daysFlorida residents only · Waiver available
- License valid
- 60 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- Not published
Reviewed July 30, 20264 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- Yes
The Clerk's own online pre-application expedites the visit but only begins the request — its portal states that completing the form does not constitute issuance of a marriage license. The license itself is issued at a Clerk office.
Official requirementTo assist in expediting the Marriage License application process, please complete the Marriage License Online Pre-Application.
- Apply in person
- Yes
Licenses are issued at three Clerk offices, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Key West (530 Whitehead Street, corner of Whitehead & Southard, Lester Building — the Clerk's general footer lists the courthouse at 500 Whitehead Street), Marathon (3117 Overseas Highway) and Plantation Key (88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2). Appointments are booked through the per-office "Schedule Marriage Appointment" links on the Clerk's marriage-license page.
Official requirementWalk-ins are always welcome, but appointments are preferred.
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
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk does not state whether both partners must appear together to apply. Its marriage-license page, its online pre-application and its FAQ index were re-read on 30 July 2026 and none of them requires — or excuses — a joint appearance, and the office publishes no application form or instruction sheet of its own. Florida statute does not settle it either: s. 741.04(2) bars issuance until the parties file a written and signed affidavit "made and subscribed before a person authorized by law to administer an oath", which a notary can take anywhere, and s. 741.01(1) speaks only of an application both parties state under oath in writing. Neither compels both parties to stand at the counter, and neither says one may come alone, so nothing is recorded. Other Florida counties publish their own answer; that never establishes Monroe's. Call the office before sending one partner alone.
Not published by this office- Residency
- No residence or citizenship requirement — couples need not live in Monroe County, Florida or the United States. Residency decides the waiting period: Florida residents face a three-day wait unless a premarital class is completed, while out-of-state residents have none.Official requirement
There is no residence or citizenship requirement.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
- A valid photo-type ID showing date of birth
- Accepted: driver's license, passport, student ID card, military ID, or alien registration card
Both parties must also read the Family Law Handbook — the Clerk's pre-application records the acknowledgment of the rights and responsibilities of parties to a marriage specified in Florida Statute 741.0306.
Official requirementApplicants must provide a valid photo-type ID, with date of birth shown (Driver's License, Passport, Student ID Card, Military ID, or Alien Registration Card).
- Social Security number
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk's marriage-license page publishes no Social Security rule. Its own pre-application form collects a Social Security number for each applicant, and Florida Statute 741.04(2) requires an affidavit of each party's Social Security or other identification number statewide, but the Clerk itself states no requirement, so none is recorded.
Not published by this office- Age
- Applicants must be eighteen (18) years old and cannot be related by blood.Official requirement
Applicants must be eighteen (18) years old to obtain a marriage license and cannot be related by blood.
- Applicants under 18
- An applicant under 18 must contact the Clerk's office for information or refer to Florida Statute 741.04, which permits issuance at 17 only with written parental or guardian consent acknowledged before an officer authorized to administer oaths, and only where the older party is no more than 2 years older than the younger party.
The statutory conditions are state law, restated here because the Clerk points applicants to the statute rather than publishing its own procedure.
Applies in some casesPlease contact our office for information on obtaining a marriage license if you are under the age of 18 or refer to Florida State Statute 741.04 for requirements.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
- A previously married applicant must provide the exact date the last marriage ended — by death, divorce or annulment. The Clerk's requirements list the date only; no decree or certificate appears among them.Applies in some cases
If either applicant has been previously married, the exact date of the last death, divorce, or annulment must be provided.
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $86$61 with proof of a completed premarital class — stated by the Clerk for couples where both applicants are Florida residents. The class must be taken through an authorized provider listed in Monroe County and the original certificate of completion presented at the time of application. Florida Statute 741.01(4) grants the same $25 reduction to all couples without a residency condition — see the source conflict note.
The premarital class also removes the three-day waiting period for Florida residents.
Official requirementThe marriage license fee is $86.00. If both applicants are Florida residents and provide proof that they completed a premarital class then the fee is then $61.00.
- Payment methods
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no accepted payment methods for the marriage license fee on its marriage-license page or fee schedule.
Not published by this office
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- 3 days (Florida residents only)
Applies when both parties are Florida residents and no premarital class is completed; the Clerk counts it from the date of issue. If only one applicant is a Florida resident and that resident takes the course, there is no waiting period. If both applicants are out-of-state residents, there is none.
Applies in some casesIf no class is attended, there is a three (3) day waiting period (from the date of issue), before the marriage ceremony may take place.
- Waiver
- The three-day wait is waived when Florida-resident applicants attend a premarital class through an authorized provider listed in Monroe County and present the original certificate of completion at the time of application; where only one applicant is a Florida resident, that resident taking the course removes the wait. Out-of-state couples have no waiting period to waive.
A list of authorized providers is available from the Clerk on request. Florida Statute 741.04(5) additionally directs clerks to grant exceptions to couples asserting hardship, and lets a county court judge waive the delay for Florida residents showing good cause; the Clerk does not republish either route.
Applies in some casesIf both parties are Florida residents they may both attend a premarital class and present the certification of attendance to the clerk at the time of application. There is no waiting period.
- License expires
- 60 days
Counted from the license's effective date, not the purchase date: under the Clerk's published effective-date criteria a Florida-resident couple without a course certificate waits three days from issue, and every couple with no waiting period is effective at once.
Official requirementThe license must be used within sixty (60) days from the "effective date".
- Where it is valid
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk does not publish where the ceremony may take place. It describes itself only as the issuing agent of marriage licenses for the State of Florida.
Not published by this office
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no witness requirement or count.
Not published by this office- Officiant
- A marriage may be performed by ordained clergy, the judiciary, a State of Florida notary, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, or deputy clerks — the Clerk's own office can solemnize the marriage.Official requirement
A marriage may be performed by an Ordained Clergy, Judiciary, State of Florida Notary, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Deputy Clerks.
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
- The person who performed the ceremony must return the license to the marriage license section within ten (10) days of the marriage, where it is recorded in the Official Records. Until it is received there is no valid record of the marriage. After recording, a certified copy is mailed to the couple; the process takes approximately three weeks.Official requirement
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 valid record of the marriage.
- Processing
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk does not publish how long issuing a license takes at the counter. After the ceremony, recording and the mailed certified copy take approximately three weeks.
Not published by this office
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no accessibility statement or language-access notes on its site.
Not published by this office
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in Monroe County?
- The fee is $86, set by the Monroe County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. $61 with proof of a completed premarital class — stated by the Clerk for couples where both applicants are Florida residents.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Monroe County?
- Yes. A waiting period of 3 days (Florida residents only) applies between issuance and the ceremony. A waiver is available in some circumstances.
- How long is a Monroe County marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in Monroe County?
- No residence or citizenship requirement — couples need not live in Monroe County, Florida or the United States. Residency decides the waiting period: Florida residents face a three-day wait unless a premarital class is completed, while out-of-state residents have none.
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 30, 2026.
- Marriage LicenseMonroe County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Marriage License Online Pre-ApplicationMonroe County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Florida Statutes 741.01 — County court judge or clerk of the circuit court to issue marriage license; feeFlorida Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Florida Statutes 741.04 — Issuance of marriage licenseFlorida Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
Recorded conflicts
- The Clerk conditions the $61.00 discounted fee on both applicants being Florida residents, while Florida Statutes 741.01(4) grants the same $25 reduction to 'all couples' who present valid premarital-course certificates, with no residency condition. The fee is recorded as the Clerk publishes it; a non-resident couple relying on the reduced fee should confirm with the Clerk before applying. The residency distinction is genuine for the waiting period, where the Clerk and the statute agree.
- The Clerk describes the three-day waiting period as running 'from the date of issue'; Florida Statutes 741.04(5) delays 'the effective date of the marriage license by 3 days from the date of application'. For a license applied for and issued at the same visit the two clocks coincide, and the Clerk's own wording is what this record reports.
- monroe-clerk.com serves an incomplete TLS certificate chain (the GoDaddy G2 intermediate is missing), so strict clients — including automated link checkers — may report a certificate error. The certificate itself is valid for *.monroe-clerk.com until December 2026; content was retrieved after verifying the chain against the published GoDaddy intermediate.
- This record stays partial because the Clerk publishes nothing on whether both partners must appear. A second pass on 30 July 2026 checked the marriage-license page, the Clerk's own online pre-application at marriage.monroe-clerk.com, the site FAQ index and a probe for a marriage application form, instruction sheet or fee schedule; the Clerk offers no such document and no page addresses appearance. Florida statute does not close the gap either — s. 741.04(2) requires an affidavit signed by the parties and subscribed before any person authorized to administer an oath, which a notary can take away from the courthouse, and s. 741.01(1) requires only a written statement under oath — so the statute neither compels both parties to attend nor permits one to attend alone, and no statutory reading is recorded. The only remaining Clerk-authored text on the subject would be in the three Microsoft Bookings appointment pages, which sit on a shared vendor host that may never supply a fact.
- Marriage appointments are booked through three per-office Microsoft Bookings pages on outlook.office365.com, linked as 'Schedule Marriage Appointment' from the Clerk's marriage-license page. No appointment_url is recorded because allowlisting that generic Microsoft host as a vendor portal would admit every other tenant's booking pages; the links are reachable from the issuing authority URL.
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