MarriageLicenseCheck

City of St. Louis marriage license

Issued by the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Marriage License Department

To marry in City of St. Louis, you apply to the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Marriage License Department. There, both applicants must appear together and the license is valid throughout the state.

Fee
$60
Waiting period
NoneMarry the same day
License valid
29 daysFrom issuance
Both must appear
YesTogether, at the same time

Reviewed July 26, 20266 official sourcesSee sources

Where to apply

City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Marriage License Department

Apply online
Yes

The online form starts the application only. It does not replace the appearance at City Hall, and it is not a route to a license issued remotely.

Official requirement

You can fill out an online application beforehand or in person, but in either case couples must visit the Marriage Department together in person to obtain the license.

Apply in person
Yes

The whole application can be completed at the counter; the online form is optional.

Official requirement

Visit the Marriage Department together and fill out the form in person.

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
Official requirement

Both applicants must visit the Marriage Department together, with their Driver's License, State ID or Passport.

Residency

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

The Recorder publishes no residency requirement for an in-person application. A license issued by any Missouri recorder may be used for a ceremony anywhere in Missouri, so living outside the city does not by itself send you elsewhere.

Not published by this office

Identification and personal information

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

Identification
  • Each applicant must present one of: driver's license, state ID, or passport
  • The document must show the applicant's full legal name

The Recorder lists no alternative document set and publishes no procedure for an applicant who holds none of these three.

Official requirement

Ensure that both parties have a driver's license, state ID or passport that has the full legal name.

Social Security number

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

The Recorder does not list a Social Security number among the things to bring. Missouri statute (RSMo 451.040.3) requires each application to contain the applicant's Social Security number, or a signed statement that the applicant does not have one; ask the Marriage License Department how it collects this.

Not published by this office
Age
Both applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The Recorder's page still offers a guardian-consent route for applicants under 18. Missouri law has barred that since 28 August 2025 — see the source conflict note.

Official requirement

No recorder shall issue a license authorizing the marriage of any male or female under eighteen years of age.

Applicants under 18
No license may be issued to anyone under 18. Missouri law bars a recorder from issuing a marriage license to an applicant under eighteen, and provides no consent or court-order exception.

This took effect on 28 August 2025 and replaced the earlier guardian-consent route.

Official requirement

No recorder shall issue a license authorizing the marriage of any male or female under eighteen years of age.

Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended
An applicant whose previous marriage ended in divorce must wait at least 30 days from the date the divorce was finalised before applying.

This is a wait before applying, not a wait after the license is issued. The Recorder does not publish whether a certified copy of the decree must be produced.

Applies in some cases

If you are a divorcee, you must wait at least 30 days from the date of divorce finalization to apply.

Fee and payment

Fee
$60

Nonrefundable. The $60 covers a $48.00 marriage license fee plus a $12.00 certificate copy fee; the certificate copy is mailed automatically once the license is recorded.

Official requirement

$60.00 nonrefundable application fee payable by Visa/MasterCard or cash. No checks. This includes a $48.00 marriage license fee and a $12.00 certificate copy fee.

Payment methods
  • Visa
  • MasterCard
  • Cash

No checks. The Recorder's 2023 brochure also lists money orders; the current page does not — see the source conflict note.

Official requirement

Prepare to pay the $60.00 nonrefundable application fee by Visa/MasterCard or cash. No checks.

Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period
None

The license is issued during the visit and there is no interval before it may be used. The current web page does not restate this, but it does confirm same-visit issuance.

Official requirement

No Waiting Period, Same Day Application and License Issuance

Waiver

This does not apply here.

There is no waiting period to waive.

Not applicable here
License expires
29 days

Counted from the day the license is picked up, which in practice is the day it is issued. The Recorder's brochure and Missouri statute both allow 30 days; 29 is the current published instruction and the safer figure to plan against — see the source conflict note.

Official requirement

License must be used for a ceremony within 29 days after it is has been picked up.

Where it is valid
Valid for a ceremony performed anywhere in Missouri, not only in the City of St. Louis. It cannot be used for a ceremony in another state.

The City of St. Louis is an independent city and is not part of St. Louis County; a license from either office is nevertheless good anywhere in Missouri.

Official requirement

Marriage License Issued By Any Missouri County Recorder May Be Used For Ceremony In Any Missouri County

Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses
Two witnesses to the ceremony must sign the license.
Official requirement

Two witnesses to the ceremony must sign the license.

Officiant
The ceremony must take place in Missouri. It must be performed by a U.S. citizen who is either clergy in good standing with a Missouri congregation or a judge of a court of record.

The Recorder does not publish an officiant registration process, and does not publish a civil ceremony service of its own.

Official requirement

Ceremony must be performed in Missouri and officiated by a U.S. citizen who is a clergy in good standing with a Missouri congregation or judge of a court of record.

Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony
The clergy member or judge who performed the ceremony must complete, sign and return the license to the Recorder of Deeds within 15 days after the ceremony.

The $12 certificate copy included in the fee is mailed automatically once the license is recorded.

Official requirement

Within 15 days after ceremony, clergy or judge must complete, sign and return license to Recorder of Deeds.

Processing
The license is issued during the visit to the Marriage Department.

The included certificate copy is mailed separately after the officiant returns the signed license and it is recorded.

Official requirement

Your license will be issued during your visit to the Marriage Department.

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

Access and language

Published notes
  • Site-wide controls to change website fonts, colours and spacing
  • Guidance for browser, operating-system and screen-reader accessibility settings
  • Whole-site translation, with dedicated landing pages in Spanish, Farsi, Pashto, French, Vietnamese and Bosnian and automated translation into a long further list of languages

These are city website features. The Recorder publishes no in-office ADA accommodation or interpreter procedure for the Marriage License Department.

Official requirement

Translate the entire site into the language of your choice.

Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in City of St. Louis?
The fee is $60, set by the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Marriage License Department.
Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in City of St. Louis?
No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
How long is a City of St. Louis marriage license valid?
The license is valid for 29 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
Do both partners have to appear in person in City of St. Louis?
Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.

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. Apply for a Marriage LicenseCity of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Marriage License Department · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  2. Marriage License Issuance and Copy Services BrochureCity of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  3. RSMo Section 451.040 — Marriage license required, waiting period; application, contents; license void whenMissouri Revisor of Statutes · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
  4. RSMo Section 451.090 — Issuance of license prohibited, when; proof of ageMissouri Revisor of Statutes · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
  5. Website AccessibilityCity of St. Louis · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  6. Translate This SiteCity of St. Louis · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26

Recorded conflicts

  • License lifespan is stated three ways. The current Apply for a Marriage License page says the license must be used within 29 days after pick-up; the Recorder's 2023 brochure says 30 days after pick-up; RSMo 451.040.3 says the license is void after thirty days from the date of issuance. The 29-day figure is recorded because it is the authority's current published instruction and is the safer window under all three statements.
  • The Apply for a Marriage License page still says an applicant may be under 18 with consent from a legal guardian. RSMo 451.090.1, effective 28 August 2025, bars a recorder from issuing a license to anyone under eighteen and provides no consent exception. The statutory bar is recorded and the page's consent wording is treated as stale.
  • The Recorder's brochure is stale on office details and payment: it gives Room 124, phone 314.622.3015 and hours of 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and lists money orders as an accepted payment method. The current page gives Room 128, (314) 613-3018, hours of 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturday, and accepts only Visa/MasterCard or cash. The current page is recorded.
  • The brochure's '6-Month Application Expiration — you must pick up License within 6 months after Application' is the clock on the application, not on the license. It is not used as the expiration period. Under the current process the license is issued during the same visit, so the two clocks start together.

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