Charleston County marriage license

1Where to apply

2When to apply

3Who must appear

Both applicants

Yes

Both applicants must be present together while the application is completed, because each has to sign a sworn statement. This is a requirement that the couple be together, not a published requirement to appear at the courthouse — the Court's published route is the online LOVE application.

Official requirement

For this reason, both Applicant A and Applicant B must be present when completing the Application for License and Certificate of Marriage.

Residency

There is no residency requirement. Neither applicant needs to live in Charleston County or in South Carolina.

The Court states that it can assist couples who are getting married in South Carolina, without limiting that to residents.

Official requirement

No residency requirements.

4Identification and personal information

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

Identification

• Each applicant uploads one valid photo ID, one of: a valid driver's license
• An original birth certificate or a certified copy of the birth certificate
• A valid state identification card issued by the state Highway Department
• A current military identification card
• A current passport
• United States citizens additionally upload one document showing the Social Security number: a Social Security card, page 1 of a tax return showing the name and number, or a W-2 or tax form showing the name and number with the financial information redacted
• An applicant who is not a United States citizen instead submits a copy of a valid passport or current visa showing the Alien Registration Number

All documents are uploaded into the online application rather than shown at a counter.

Official requirement

All applicants must upload a valid photo ID.

Social Security number

United States citizens must upload proof of their Social Security number — a Social Security card, page 1 of a tax return showing the name and number, or a W-2 or tax form showing the name and number with the financial information redacted. An applicant who is not a United States citizen must instead submit a copy of a valid passport or current visa showing the Alien Registration Number.

South Carolina law requires the application itself to carry each party's Social Security number, or the alien identification number assigned to a resident alien who does not have one.

Official requirement

United States Citizens must upload proof of their social security number.

Age

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

This is the Court's own published rule. South Carolina statute still provides a consent route for applicants aged 16 or 17; see the minor rule and the source conflict notes.

Official requirement

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

Applicants under 18

South Carolina law bars a license where either applicant is under 16, and requires a sworn consent affidavit signed by a parent, other relative or guardian where an applicant is aged 16 or 17. The Charleston County Probate Court's current marriage page states only that applicants must be at least 18 and publishes no under-18 procedure, so an applicant under 18 should contact the Marriage License Division on (843) 958-5183 before applying.

The Court's Spanish-language instruction sheet still describes the 16-and-over consent route, with the parent or guardian appearing at the same time as the minor to show identification and sign the consent. The English page does not. This divergence is recorded rather than resolved.

Applies in some cases

A marriage license must not be issued when either applicant is under the age of sixteen. When either applicant is between the ages of sixteen to eighteen and that applicant resides with father, mother, other relative, or guardian, the probate judge or other officer authorized to issue marriage licenses shall not issue a license for the marriage until furnished with a sworn affidavit signed by the father, mother, other relative, or guardian giving consent to the marriage.

5Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended

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

The Court publishes no rule about a previous marriage, and no requirement to produce a divorce decree or death certificate. Each applicant does sign a sworn statement that they are legally entitled to marry under South Carolina law.

Not published by this office

6Fee and payment

Fee

$70Paid by credit card. A transaction fee is added on top and the payment is non-refundable. The Court asks applicants who completed a premarital preparation course to provide the certificate of completion when applying, but publishes no reduced license fee for it.

A certified copy of the marriage license is a separate $5.00 per copy, plus a transaction fee.

Official requirement

The cost is seventy dollars ($70) by credit card plus a transaction fee and is non-refundable.

Payment methods

• Credit card, through the online application; a transaction fee is added and the payment is non-refundable

The Court's older Spanish-language instruction sheet still lists cash as an alternative; the current English page publishes credit card only. See source conflict notes.

Official requirement

The cost is seventy dollars ($70) by credit card plus a transaction fee and is non-refundable.

7Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period

24 hours

The clock runs from the filing of the completed application, not from the ceremony date. In practice the wait is longer: the Court emails the license within two business days of a completed application, and the couple cannot marry until it is released.

Official requirement

As mandated by South Carolina law, there is a twenty-four hour waiting period after the application is filed before the Marriage License is released.

Waiver

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

The Court publishes no way to waive or shorten the 24-hour waiting period.

Not published by this office

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.

A South Carolina marriage license carries no expiry, so there is no number of days to record and the ceremony-date planner draws no outer boundary here. Article 3 of Title 20, Chapter 1 of the South Carolina Code — the chapter the Probate Court itself links as "South Carolina Laws on Marriage" — is the closed scheme that governs issuance, and Sections 20-1-210 through 20-1-380 were read end to end on 30 July 2026. Between them they fix what must be filed, the twenty-four-hour wait before issuance, the form of the license, its issue in triplicate, its delivery to the officiant, its return within fifteen days of the ceremony and its recording — but no section sets a date after which an issued license lapses, and no section elsewhere in the chapter does either. The vital-statistics chapter that handles the resulting certificate, Title 44, Chapter 63, imposes none. The Court publishes no expiry of its own; the one sentence on its page containing the word is about the certified copy — "A certified copy does not expire."

Not applicable here

(A) The judge of probate or clerk of court with whom a marriage license application was filed shall issue a license upon: (1) the filing of the application required under the provisions of Section 20-1-220; (2) the lapse of at least twenty-four hours thereafter; (3) the payment of the fee provided by law; and (4) the filing of a statement, under oath or affirmation, to the effect that the persons seeking the contract of matrimony are legally entitled to marry, together with the full names of the persons, their ages, and places of residence.

Where it is valid

The license may be used anywhere in South Carolina, and only in South Carolina. The ceremony must be performed in person.

The license is not restricted to Charleston County: the Court states that it can assist couples who are getting married in South Carolina. It cannot be used for a ceremony in another state, and it does not cover a remote or virtual ceremony.

Official requirement

A South Carolina marriage license is valid only for marriages performed in person in South Carolina.

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 and no witness count.

Not published by this office

Officiant

An ordained minister, a Jewish rabbi, an officer authorized to administer oaths in South Carolina, or a South Carolina notary may perform a wedding ceremony in South Carolina.

The same page states elsewhere that "Only ministers of the Gospel or accepted Jewish rabbis and South Carolina notaries are authorized to perform a marriage ceremony in South Carolina", which omits officers authorized to administer oaths. See source conflict notes. The Court publishes no ceremony service of its own.

Official requirement

An Ordained minister, Jewish Rabbis, officers authorized to administer oaths in South Carolina or a South Carolina Notary can perform wedding ceremonies in South Carolina.

9Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony

After the ceremony the couple is responsible for returning the signed copies labelled PROBATE JUDGE and PROBATE JUDGE/DPH COPY to the Probate Court, either by mail or through the drop box at the office door, which is available from 8:30am to 5:00pm.

The Court publishes no deadline for returning the completed license. A certified copy cannot be ordered until the ceremony has been performed and the license has been filed with the Court.

Official requirement

After your wedding ceremony, you will be responsible for returning the signed copies labeled PROBATE JUDGE and PROBATE JUDGE/DPH COPY to the Probate Court via mail or the drop box is available at our office door from 8:30AM to 5:00PM.

Processing

The license is emailed within two business days of the completed application, together with an instruction sheet.

Certified copy orders are processed the next business day and mailed to the parties. Marriage licenses issued before 1999 are held by the South Carolina Department of Public Health Vital Records Office rather than the Court.

Official requirement

Within TWO business days following the fulfilled Application for License and Certificate of Marriage, your Marriage License will be emailed to the email address listed on your Application for License and Certificate of Marriage.

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

10Access and language

Published notes

• The Marriage License Division publishes its requirements in Spanish as a downloadable instruction sheet, but the application itself must be completed in English
• Charleston County states it complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 13166 on Limited English Proficiency
• An ADA Citizen Request for Accommodations form is published, and an ADA Coordinator can be reached at ADACoordinator@CharlestonCounty.org

Official requirement

It is the policy of Charleston County to comply with all federal and state authorities requiring nondiscrimination

11Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in Charleston County?

The fee is $70, set by the Charleston County Probate Court, Marriage License Division. Paid by credit card.

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

Yes. A waiting period of 24 hours applies between issuance and the ceremony.

How long is a Charleston 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 Charleston County?

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

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

There is no residency requirement. Neither applicant needs to live in Charleston County or in South Carolina.

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. Marriage License Division: Probate CourtCharleston County Probate Court, Marriage License Division · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
2. Requisitos para la Licencia de MatrimonioCharleston County Probate Court, Marriage License Division · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
3. Title VI PlanCharleston County Government · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
4. South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 20, Chapter 1 - MarriageSouth Carolina Legislature, South Carolina Code of Laws · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30

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