Marion County marriage license
To marry in Marion County, you apply to the Marion County Clerk's Office, Marriage License Division. There, both applicants must appear together.
- Fee
- $25
- Waiting period
- NoneMarry the same day
- License valid
- 60 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- YesTogether, at the same time
Reviewed July 26, 20263 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- Yes
The online application is required, not optional — but it does not replace the office visit. You still appear in person for the application review, pay the fee there and receive the license there.
Official requirementTo obtain your marriage license, you must complete two steps. First, you will complete the online application. Second, you must come into the office to complete your application review and pay the application fee.
- Apply in person
- Yes
The in-person review is walk-in only and needs no appointment. The Clerk publishes no way to complete the whole application at the counter without first filing it online.
Official requirementNo appointment is necessary to have your application reviewed. We accept couples on a walk-in basis 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
The Clerk requires physical identification from both applicants at the in-person review, and the Indiana Judicial Branch states that both must appear at the Clerk's Office.
Official requirementBoth applicants must present physical, unexpired identification documentation.
- Residency
- Apply in the Indiana county where one of you lives — so Marion County if either applicant lives here. If you both live outside Indiana, apply in the Indiana county where the ceremony will take place, which means the Marion County Clerk's Office for a ceremony in Marion County. Indiana residents who live in another Indiana county must apply in their home county, not here.
Proof of residency is a separate document requirement at the counter; see ID requirements.
Official requirementIf you live in Indiana but in a different county, apply for a license in your home county. Out-of-state visitors planning to marry in Marion County must apply for their license in the Marion County Clerk's Office.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
- Each applicant: one physical, unexpired identification document — valid driver's license, current state-issued identification card, original certified birth certificate, or passport
- Each applicant: proof of residency — rental lease, valid driver's license, state identification card, or current utility bill
The Clerk's topic page also lists military identification and a consular card as acceptable identification; the dedicated Marriage Licenses page does not. The narrower list is recorded — see the source conflict note.
Official requirementBoth applicants must present physical, unexpired identification documentation. Identification can be a valid driver's license, current state-issued identification card, original certified birth certificate, or passport.
- Social Security number
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk does not list a Social Security number among the things to bring. The Indiana Judicial Branch states that applicants must provide a Social Security number although the card itself may not be required; confirm with the Marion County Clerk before you go.
Not published by this office- Age
- Both applicants must be at least 18 years old.
A license is also refused if either applicant is under the influence of drugs or alcohol when applying, if the applicants are more closely related than second cousins (unless both are first cousins aged at least 65), or if either has been judged of unsound mind and the adjudication has not been removed. A lifetime sex or violent offender must file a sworn affidavit of notice to law enforcement.
Official requirementThe Clerk can issue a marriage license if: Both applicants are eighteen (18) years of age or older
- Applicants under 18
- An applicant aged 16 or 17 may marry only if a juvenile court has granted an order under IC 31-11-7 approving the marriage and completely emancipating them, and the other applicant is no more than four years older. Parental consent alone is not enough.
The Clerk's own topic page still describes an older parental-consent rule — see the source conflict note.
Applies in some casesEach individual who is less than eighteen (18) years of age has been granted an order by a juvenile court under IC 31-11-7 granting the individual approval to marry and completely emancipating the individual.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Marion County Clerk publishes no rule for applicants whose previous marriage has ended. The Indiana Judicial Branch says you must give the date the prior marriage ended and that some counties additionally require a certified copy of the divorce decree. Ask the Clerk whether a decree is needed before you go.
Not published by this office
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $25
The $25 fee applies when at least one applicant is an Indiana resident. If neither is, the fee is $65. A credit or debit card carries an extra processing charge. Certified copies of the recorded license are $4 each and are billed separately.
Official requirementThe fee for Indiana residents is $25; out-of-state residents pay $65.
- Payment methods
- Cash
- Credit card (extra processing charge)
- Debit card (extra processing charge)
The Clerk states elsewhere that it does not accept personal checks for mailed copy requests.
Official requirementYou can use cash or a credit/debit card to pay the fee. There is a processing charge for credit/debit cards.
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- None
The Indiana Judicial Branch states affirmatively that a couple may marry the same day the license is issued. The Marion County Clerk does not restate this.
Official requirementA marriage license is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued, and couples may be married as early as the same day.
- Waiver
This does not apply here.
There is no waiting period to waive.
Not applicable here- License expires
- 60 days
Counted from the date the license is issued. A license that expires cannot be extended: you must reapply and pay the fee again.
Official requirementA marriage license is valid for 60 days. You must get married before the end of those 60 days. If you don't, the license will expire.
- Where it is valid
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
Neither the Marion County Clerk nor the Indiana Judicial Branch publishes a limit on where in Indiana a license issued here may be used. What is published is where you must apply: applicants living outside Indiana must obtain the license in the Indiana county where the ceremony will take place.
Not published by this office
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
Neither the Clerk nor the Indiana Judicial Branch publishes a witness requirement or a witness count for the ceremony.
Not published by this office- Officiant
- The ceremony may be solemnized by a member of the clergy of a religious organisation, a judge, a mayor within the mayor's county, a city or town clerk or clerk-treasurer within a county containing that city or town, a clerk of the circuit court, the governor, the lieutenant governor, a member of the general assembly, or in accordance with the rules of the Friends Church, the German Baptists, the Bahai faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or by an imam of a masjid.
The Clerk publishes no officiant registration process.
Official requirementPer IC 31-11-6-1- Persons authorized to solemnize marriages: (1) A member of the clergy of a religious organization (even if the cleric does not perform religious functions for an individual congregation), such as a minister of the gospel, a priest, a bishop, an archbishop, or a rabbi. (2) A judge. (3) A mayor, within the mayor's county.
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
- The officiant verifies the license, signs and completes the officiant's section, and files the signed license with the Clerk's Office within 30 days of the ceremony, by mail or in person. The marriage is not recognised by the State of Indiana until the Clerk's Office records it.
You can confirm the Clerk received it by emailing the marriage division or using the state's online marriage record search.
Official requirementWhile the couple has 60 days from when the marriage license was granted to get married, the signed marriage license must be filed with the Clerk's Office within 30 days of the ceremony, per Indiana Code IC 31-11-4-17.
- Processing
- The online application is processed in under five minutes. You receive the license at the in-person application review, which is walk-in only.Official requirement
Once you complete the online portion of the application, you're information will be processed in under five minutes.
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's site carries an automated page-translation widget, but publishes no accessibility statement, ADA accommodation procedure or language-services policy of its own. The site's own accessibility page returned a server error when checked.
Not published by this office
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in Marion County?
- The fee is $25, set by the Marion County Clerk's Office, Marriage License Division.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Marion County?
- No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
- How long is a Marion County marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do both partners have to appear in person in Marion County?
- Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in Marion County?
- Apply in the Indiana county where one of you lives — so Marion County if either applicant lives here. If you both live outside Indiana, apply in the Indiana county where the ceremony will take place, which means the Marion County Clerk's Office for a ceremony in Marion County. Indiana residents who live in another Indiana county must apply in their home county, not here.
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.
- Marriage LicensesMarion County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Getting Married in Marion CountyMarion County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Apply for a Marriage LicenseIndiana Judicial Branch · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
Recorded conflicts
- The Clerk's topic page 'Getting Married in Marion County' still says a 17-year-old may marry with permission from both parents and a 16-year-old needs a court order. Indiana law now requires any applicant under 18 to hold a juvenile court order under IC 31-11-7 approving the marriage and completely emancipating them, with the other applicant no more than four years older, as the Indiana Judicial Branch states. The current rule is recorded and the topic page's parental-consent wording is treated as stale.
- The two Clerk pages give different identification lists. The topic page adds military identification and a consular card; the dedicated Marriage Licenses page lists driver's license, state-issued ID card, original certified birth certificate or passport, and adds that the document must be physical and unexpired. The narrower dedicated-page list is recorded.
- The Indiana Judicial Branch adds that some Indiana offices charge a further $4.00 document fee and that most counties require the fee in cash. The Marion County Clerk publishes only the $25 resident / $65 out-of-state fee and accepts cash or a credit/debit card with a processing charge. The Clerk's own figures are recorded.
- The Clerk's dedicated Marriage Licenses page lists only the 18-or-older route under 'Age Requirement' and omits the juvenile-court route for 16- and 17-year-olds that the Indiana Judicial Branch sets out. Treated as an omission on the county page rather than a different rule.
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