MarriageLicenseCheck

Wayne County marriage license

Issued by the Wayne County Clerk's Office, One-Stop Shop Vital Statistics Records Office

To marry in Wayne County, you apply to the Wayne County Clerk's Office, One-Stop Shop Vital Statistics Records Office. There, the applicants do not both have to appear and the license is valid throughout the state.

Fee
$30$40 if both applicants are out-of-state residents
Waiting period
3 daysWaiver available
License valid
33 daysFrom issuance
Both must appear
NoWayne County does not require both applicants to appear

Reviewed July 26, 20266 official sourcesSee sources

Where to apply

Wayne County Clerk's Office, One-Stop Shop Vital Statistics Records Office

Apply online
Yes

The eVitals form is step 2 of a three-step process and does not replace the counter visit. After applying online you must still book an appointment and appear at the Detroit office.

Official requirement

Step 2: Apply. Complete eVitals Application

Apply in person
Yes

In-person appearance is required, not merely offered as an alternative.

Official requirement

Please note that the Wayne County resident must be present when applying.

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
No

Wayne County does not require both applicants to appear. Where an applicant lives in Wayne County, that applicant must be present. Where both applicants are non-residents of Michigan, at least one must appear. The applicant who attends alone must still produce the absent partner's certified birth certificate or passport.

Official requirement

If only one person is applying, they must show their I. D. along with their birth certificate or passport and their spouses birth certificate or passport.

Residency
A Michigan marriage license is obtained from the county clerk of the county in which an applicant resides, and the Wayne County resident must be present when applying. If both applicants are non-residents of Michigan, they must apply in the county where the marriage will be performed; Wayne County accepts those applications at its Downtown Detroit office.
Official requirement

A person obtains a Michigan marriage license from the County Clerk of the county in which the applicant resides. Please note that the Wayne County resident must be present when applying.

Identification and personal information

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

Identification
  • A valid driver's license or state identification, to show proof of residency
  • A certified copy of the birth certificate or birth registration showing parental information — hospital and baptismal certificates are not accepted
  • In place of a certified birth certificate: a valid U.S. passport signed by the holder, or a letter of no record from the state of birth together with a NUMIDENT from Social Security
  • Foreign-born applicants, originals only: a valid passport, a certified birth certificate, a valid I-94 card attached to the passport, a valid Resident Alien Card or Green Card, a valid Work Authorization Card, or U.S. naturalization papers — each showing the full day, month and year of birth
  • Foreign birth certificates must be translated into English by a certified translator, with the translator's signature notarised by a notary other than the translator
  • Canadian citizens only may use card-sized birth certificates
  • If only one applicant appears, that applicant must also produce the other partner's birth certificate or passport
Official requirement

Those present must provide a valid driver's license or state identification to show proof of residency.

Social Security number
Both applicants must include their Social Security numbers on the application. An applicant who does not have a Social Security number must tell the Wayne County Clerk's Office when applying.

State law bars the Social Security number from being displayed on the issued license.

Official requirement

Both individuals are required to include Social Security numbers on the application; if you do not have a Social Security number, you must inform the Wayne County Clerk's Office when applying.

Age
Both applicants must be 18 or older. When the county clerk asks, an applicant must produce a birth certificate or other proof of age in addition to the statement of age on the application.

The Wayne County Clerk does not restate the age rule on its marriage license page; this is the statewide statutory rule.

Official requirement

An individual who is 18 years of age or older may contract marriage.

Applicants under 18

This does not apply here.

Michigan no longer permits marriage under 18 in any circumstance. There is no parental-consent or court-consent route, and a marriage entered into in Michigan by anyone under 18 is void.

Not applicable here

A marriage in this state shall not be contracted by an individual who is under 18 years of age. A marriage, if entered into in this state by an individual under 18 years of age, is void.

Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended

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

The Wayne County Clerk publishes no divorce-decree or prior-marriage documentation requirement for a marriage license application. Do not assume a decree is or is not needed — confirm with the office.

Not published by this office

Fee and payment

Fee
$30$40 if both applicants are out-of-state residents.

Michigan's statutory fee is $20, plus $10 more when both applicants are non-residents. A charter county with a population over 1,500,000 may set a different fee by ordinance, and Wayne County has done so.

Official requirement

There is a $30.00 fee if one or both applicants is a Wayne County resident or $40.00 if both parties are out of state residents.

Payment methods
  • Cash
  • Money order
  • Debit or credit card

Personal checks are not accepted. Payment is due when you apply.

Official requirement

You must pay in cash, money order or debit/credit card when you apply.

Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period
3 days

The three days include the date of application, so an application made on a Monday cannot yield a license before Wednesday. The Wayne County Clerk does not restate this rule on its marriage license page.

Official requirement

A marriage license shall not be delivered within a period of 3 days including the date of application.

Waiver
The county clerk may deliver the license immediately after the application, but only for good and sufficient cause shown. An applicant who is granted this pays an extra fee set by the county board of commissioners. Wayne County does not publish the amount of that fee or the causes it accepts.

The Clerk's page does not mention the waiver by name; it says only that time-sensitive appointments are granted for marriage licenses and invites applicants whose appointment falls after their wedding date to call 313-967-6938. Confirm the fee and the cause with the office before relying on a same-day license.

Applies in some cases

However, the county clerk of each county, for good and sufficient cause shown, may deliver the license immediately following the application. If the county clerk delivers the license immediately following the application, the person applying for the license shall pay a fee to be determined by the county board of commissioners, which the county clerk shall deposit into the general fund of the county.

License expires
33 days

The 33 days run from the date of application, not from the date the license is handed over. Combined with the three-day wait, a license collected on day three leaves 30 days in which to marry.

Official requirement

A marriage license issued is void unless a marriage is solemnized under the license within 33 days after the application.

Where it is valid
Valid anywhere in the State of Michigan, and only in Michigan. Michigan does not confine the ceremony to the issuing county.

Where both applicants are non-residents of Michigan, the application itself must be made in the county where the marriage will be performed, so such a couple's Wayne County license is tied to a Wayne County ceremony.

Official requirement

*** The license is valid only in the State of Michigan ***

Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses
At least two witnesses, besides the person solemnizing the marriage, must be present at the ceremony. Witnesses must be 18 or older and sign the license, which is returned to the county clerk.

For a private ceremony held at the Clerk's office, Wayne County supplies the two witnesses itself.

Official requirement

in every case, there shall be at least 2 witnesses, besides the person solemnizing the marriage, present at the ceremony

Officiant
The officiant must enter the city, village or township and the county in which the marriage is performed, record the date of the marriage, sign the "signature of officiant/certifier" line, and print their name, title and complete street address — a P.O. box or an email address is not accepted. The Clerk also performs private ceremonies at 400 Monroe on Thursdays and Fridays for $150, excluding holidays, booked on 313-224-4680.

An applicant who intends to change their name after marriage must sign and print all three documents in the name they will use after the wedding.

Official requirement

Per office policy, the Wayne County Clerk's Office will provide two witnesses for your ceremony.

Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony
After the ceremony the Wayne County Clerk's Office must receive the 2nd and 3rd copies of the marriage license. They may be mailed to, or delivered in person at, the Downtown Detroit office.

The Clerk does not publish a deadline for returning the completed license.

Official requirement

After your marriage is performed, the Wayne County Clerk's Office must receive the 2nd and 3rd copy of the marriage license. The copies may be mailed to our Downtown Detroit Office.

Processing

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

The Clerk does not publish how long license issuance takes at the counter; the statutory three-day rule governs the earliest delivery. Only certified-copy turnaround is published: about ten days after completed licenses are mailed in, or the same day if they are delivered in person and an appointment is booked.

Not published by this office

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

Access and language

Published notes
  • A ReadSpeaker "Listen" control reads the page aloud
  • Page translation is offered into French, Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, Hmong, German, Polish, Greek and Italian
  • The Vital Records office is closed for lunch from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and opens late on Thursdays until 7:00 PM

Wayne County publishes no formal accessibility statement; the county site carries a privacy policy but no ADA or WCAG conformance page.

Official requirement

Select a language to translate to

Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in Wayne County?
The fee is $30, set by the Wayne County Clerk's Office, One-Stop Shop Vital Statistics Records Office. $40 if both applicants are out-of-state residents.
Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Wayne County?
Yes. A waiting period of 3 days applies between issuance and the ceremony. A waiver is available in some circumstances.
How long is a Wayne County marriage license valid?
The license is valid for 33 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
Do both partners have to appear in person in Wayne County?
No. Wayne County does not require both applicants to appear.
Do we have to be residents to marry in Wayne County?
A Michigan marriage license is obtained from the county clerk of the county in which an applicant resides, and the Wayne County resident must be present when applying. If both applicants are non-residents of Michigan, they must apply in the county where the marriage will be performed; Wayne County accepts those applications at its Downtown Detroit office.

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 LicensesWayne County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  2. Marriage CeremoniesWayne County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  3. MCL 551.103a — Marriage license; time of delivery; solemnization of marriage requiredMichigan Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
  4. MCL 551.103 — Persons capable of contracting marriage; age requirement; feeMichigan Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
  5. MCL 551.9 — Solemnization of marriage; form; declaration by parties; witnessesMichigan Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
  6. MCL 551.51 — Age of consent; effect of act on powers of probate judgeMichigan Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26

Recorded conflicts

  • The Wayne County Clerk's marriage license page publishes neither the three-day waiting period nor the 33-day expiry. Both are set by MCL 551.103a and are recorded here from the Michigan Compiled Laws rather than from the Clerk. Verified that no Clerk page states either figure.
  • The Clerk charges $30, or $40 when both applicants are out-of-state residents, while MCL 551.103(2) sets a $20 statutory fee plus a $10 non-resident surcharge. This is not a conflict: MCL 551.103(3) permits a charter county with a population over 1,500,000 to set its own fee by ordinance, and Wayne County qualifies. The county figure is the one published here.
  • The waiting period and the expiration period run from different reference points. The three days include the date of application; the 33 days also run from the application, not from the day the license is collected. A couple who waits before collecting the license loses that time from the 33 days.
  • Wayne County has migrated from waynecounty.com to waynecountymi.gov. The legacy /elected/clerk/marriage-license.aspx path now serves only a JavaScript redirect notice and is no longer authoritative.

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