Chatham County marriage license

1Where to apply

2When to apply

3Who must appear

Both applicants

Yes

The appointment is scheduled for when both applicants come to court for the license and to pay the fees.

Official requirement

Both applicants must be present in order to obtain a marriage license.

Residency

If either applicant is a Georgia resident, the license may be obtained in any Georgia county, including Chatham. If neither applicant is a Georgia resident, the license must be obtained in the county where the ceremony will be performed — so an out-of-state couple marrying in Savannah applies in Chatham County.

This is the county-of-issuance rule, not a residency bar: non-residents of Georgia may marry here, but only if the ceremony itself takes place in Chatham County.

Official requirement

Georgia residents may apply for a marriage license in any county in Georgia. If neither applicant is a resident of Georgia, the marriage license must be obtained in the county where the ceremony is going to be performed.

4Identification and personal information

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

Identification

• Proof of age — accepted documents include a valid driver's license, an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a valid passport, or valid armed forces identification (O.C.G.A. § 19-3-36)
• Both applicants' current driver's licenses or passports
• A translation by a certified translator for any legal document in a language other than English

Premarital blood tests are no longer required in Georgia. The online application must be submitted before the appointment, and prior-marriage documents must be in hand where they apply.

Official requirement

You must provide proof of your age. Documents that are accepted include, but are not limited to, a valid driver's license, original or certified copy of birth certificate, valid passport

Social Security number

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

The Court's marriage license page states no Social Security number requirement either way.

Not published by this office

Age

Both applicants must generally be at least 18, of sound mind, with no living spouse from an un-dissolved prior marriage and not related in a degree prohibited by law. The Court's published floor is 17, and a 17-year-old may be issued a license only under emancipation and premarital-education conditions.

The 18-year rule is set uniformly for every Georgia probate court by the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia; the Court's own page publishes the 17-year floor and its conditions.

Official requirement

You must be at least 17 years of age to obtain a marriage license.

Applicants under 18

An applicant who is 17 must provide proof of emancipation (O.C.G.A. § 19-3-2) and complete premarital education in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 19-3-30.1. The Council of Probate Court Judges adds that at least 15 days must have passed since the emancipation order and that the older party may be no more than four years older than the younger. Since 1 July 2019 no one under 17 may be issued a Georgia marriage license, and parental consent is no longer accepted.

Applies in some cases

If you are 17 years of age, you are required to provide proof that you have been emancipated (see O.C.G.A. § 19-3-2) and complete premarital education in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 19-3-30.1

5Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended

If either applicant was previously married and divorced, a final, stamped and sealed divorce decree from the most recent marriage must be presented. If a previous spouse died, proof of death — such as a death certificate or an obituary — must be presented.

The Court lists these among the necessary supporting documents that must be in hand at the appointment.

Applies in some cases

If either applicant was previously married and divorced, you must present a final, stamped and sealed divorce decree(s) from the most recent marriage/divorce.

6Fee and payment

Fee

$76$36 when a signed and dated certificate of completion from a qualifying premarital education program with at least six hours of instruction is presented at Court. Both figures include one certified copy of the marriage certificate, mailed after the completed license is returned. All fees are nonrefundable.

Official requirement

Without Certificate of Premarital Education License Fee: $76.00* *Includes one certified copy of marriage certificate

Payment methods

• Credit card (Discover, Visa or MasterCard only) or debit card, with a 5% service fee on any card transaction
• Cash in the exact amount
• Money orders in the exact amount
• Cashier's checks in the exact amount

Personal checks are not accepted for marriage licenses. All fees are nonrefundable.

Official requirement

Probate Court only accepts credit card, debit cards, cash, money orders or cashier's checks in the exact amount for Marriage Licenses and Weapons Carry Licenses. Probate Court does not accept checks for Marriage Licenses and Weapons Carry Licenses.

7Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period

None

No such requirement appears in the state statute that governs how a marriage is made here. The office itself publishes nothing either way.

Georgia fixes this by statute, not county by county. Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated — "marriage license and ceremony" — is the whole scheme for issuing a Georgia marriage license, and it interposes no interval anywhere: Code Section 19-3-36 directs that applicants who have proved they have reached the age of majority may be issued the license immediately, and Code Section 19-3-30(c) makes the license itself the authority for the marriage, the chapter's only deadline running for 30 days after the ceremony. The Probate Court publishes nothing either way. Its appointment-only intake is a scheduling constraint on when you can be seen, not a statutory wait before you can marry.

Official requirement

Applicants who have satisfactorily proved that they have reached the age of majority may be issued a marriage license immediately.

Waiver

This does not apply here.

Georgia law imposes no waiting period between issuance and the ceremony, so there is nothing for the Probate Court to waive.

Not applicable here

License expires

This does not apply here.

No such requirement appears in the state statute that governs how a marriage is made here. The office itself publishes nothing either way.

Georgia fixes this by statute, not county by county, and the statute sets no expiry. Code Section 19-3-30(c) provides that the license itself authorizes the marriage and fixes the only deadline the chapter contains — 30 days after the ceremony for the officiant to return the license for recording. That clock starts at the ceremony, not at issuance, so there is no validity window to express as a number of days and the ceremony-date planner has no outer boundary to draw. The Probate Court publishes nothing either way; the separate return deadline after the ceremony still applies.

Not applicable here

such license shall authorize the marriage of the persons therein named and require the Governor or any former Governor of this state, judge, city recorder, magistrate, minister, or other authorized person to return the license to the judge of the probate court with the certificate thereon as to the fact and date of marriage within 30 days after the date of the marriage

Where it is valid

For a marriage license issued in Georgia, the marriage ceremony must be performed in Georgia.

This is the outer boundary the Court publishes. It states no county-level restriction on where in Georgia a Chatham County license may be used; the residency rule separately requires a couple with no Georgia resident to obtain the license in the county where the ceremony will be performed.

Official requirement

For marriage licenses issued in the State of Georgia, the marriage ceremony must be performed in Georgia.

8Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses

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

The Court publishes no witness requirement or count.

Not published by this office

Officiant

The Probate Court of Chatham County does not offer or conduct wedding ceremonies; couples arrange their own officiant and venue. The ceremony itself must be performed in Georgia for the license to be used.

Official requirement

The Probate Court of Chatham County does not offer or conduct wedding ceremonies.

9Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony

After the ceremony the completed license must be returned by mail to the Probate Court for recording: Probate Court of Chatham County, Attention: Marriage Certificates, P.O. Box 8344, Savannah, Georgia 31412. The State of Georgia states the signed license should be returned to the probate court within 30 days of the ceremony. The certified copy included in the application fee is mailed once the completed license is returned.

The 30-day return window is the State's published figure; the Probate Court publishes the mailing address and process but no deadline of its own.

Official requirement

Following the wedding ceremony, the completed license must be returned to the Probate Court for recording by mail.

Processing

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

The Court publishes how to request certified copies and their fees — $18.00 plus a 5% convenience fee per digital certified copy, or $10 research fee plus $10 and $1 per page by mail — but no timeline for recording the returned license or mailing the included certified copy.

Not published by this office

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

10Access and language

Published notes

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

No accessibility statement or language-access policy is published on the Probate Court's pages or the county courts site. The marriage page's certified-translation requirement for non-English documents is recorded under ID requirements.

Not published by this office

11Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in Chatham County?

The fee is $76, set by the Chatham County Probate Court. $36 when a signed and dated certificate of completion from a qualifying premarital education program with at least six hours of instruction is presented at Court.

Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Chatham County?

No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.

How long is a Chatham County marriage license valid?

It does not expire — once issued, the license remains valid until used.

Do both partners have to appear in person in Chatham County?

Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.

Do we have to be residents to marry in Chatham County?

If either applicant is a Georgia resident, the license may be obtained in any Georgia county, including Chatham. If neither applicant is a Georgia resident, the license must be obtained in the county where the ceremony will be performed — so an out-of-state couple marrying in Savannah applies in Chatham County.

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

12Sources and reviewed date

Every fact above is quoted from one of these pages. Reviewed July 30, 2026.

1. Probate Court: Marriage LicensesChatham County Probate Court · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
2. Probate Court FeesChatham County Probate Court · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
3. Research and Records in the Record RoomChatham County Probate Court · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
4. House Bill 228 (As Passed House and Senate) — enacted text of O.C.G.A. § 19-3-36, proof of age of applicantsState of Georgia — Office of the Governor, signed legislation archive (House Bill 228, 2019 Act 187) · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
5. Senate Bill 238 (As Passed) — enacted text of O.C.G.A. § 19-3-30(c), issuance, return, and recording of licenseGeorgia General Assembly (Senate Bill 238, 2009-2010 Regular Session, 2010 Act 439) · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
6. Summary of General Statutes Enacted at the 2010 Session of the Georgia General AssemblyGeorgia General Assembly, Office of Legislative Counsel · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
7. Marriage LicensesCouncil of Probate Court Judges of Georgia (Judicial Council of Georgia, Administrative Office of the Courts) · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
8. Apply for a Marriage LicenseState of Georgia (Georgia.gov) · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30

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