King County marriage license
To marry in King County, you apply to the King County Recorder's Office, Records and Licensing Services Division. There, the applicants do not both have to appear, there is no residency requirement and the license is valid throughout the state.
Not yet fully reviewedWhat is shown below is verified against the issuing authority, but at least one requirement is not published or not yet confirmed, so treat this page as a starting point.
- Fee
- $169
- Waiting period
- 3 daysWaiver available
- License valid
- 60 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- NoKing County does not require both applicants to appear
Reviewed July 30, 20268 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
- Yes
Two different routes, and they are not the same thing. The online 'Marriage Kiosk' only starts the application — one applicant must still appear at the Recorder's Office to pay and finalise it. The separate mail route needs no appearance at all, provided both signatures are notarised in advance. Scanned or faxed applications and affidavits are not accepted; the original document must reach the office.
Official requirementIf neither party is able to submit the application, a third party (friend, family member, officiant, etc.) may submit it on your behalf as long as both signatures have been notarized in advance.
- Apply in person
- Yes
Walk-in service; the Recorder's Office publishes no appointment system for marriage licenses. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, closed weekends and King County holidays.
Official requirementYou can apply for a marriage license in person at our office in the King County Customer Service Center, 201 S. Jackson St, second floor, in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood.
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
King County does not require both applicants to appear. Applying online, only one applicant finishes the process at the counter. Applying in person without the online form, both applicants sign the application at the office. By mail, neither applicant appears — each signature is notarised instead, and a third party may deliver the application.
Official requirementOnly one applicant is required to appear in-person to complete the process.
- Residency
- There is no residency requirement. Applicants do not have to live in Washington State, and do not have to apply in the county where they live or in the county where the ceremony will take place.
The application records a present and a previous address, but neither is used as a residency test. The license must still be used for a ceremony inside Washington.
Official requirementMarriage license applicants do not have to reside in Washington State.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
Nothing King County publishes says what identification to bring: not the marriage licensing page, the marriage FAQ, the application form, the Recorder's fees and payment page, or the requirements screen of the county's own online Marriage Kiosk — which does enumerate age, marital status, kinship, residency and Social Security rules. The only published "what to bring" is a form of payment. Contact the Recorder's Office at 206-477-6620 before you travel.
Not published by this office- Social Security number
- A Social Security number is not needed to obtain a marriage license. One of the marriage forms asks for it, and an applicant who does not have a U.S. Social Security number signs a declaration to that effect instead.
The county's affidavit form itself has no Social Security number field; the requirement sits on the separate form completed at the office.
Official requirementApplicants are not required to have a U.S. Social Security number in order to obtain a marriage license.
- Age
- Both applicants must be 18 or older, and each swears to that on the application affidavit.
The same affidavit requires each applicant to swear they are not related to the other applicant.
Official requirementThat I am eighteen (18) years of age or older
- Applicants under 18
- There is no route for anyone under 18 to marry in Washington. A marriage in which either person has not attained the age of 18 is void, and no parental consent, court order or waiver is available.
Washington closed the minor-marriage exception in 2024; the rule applies to any marriage entered into on or after 6 June 2024.
Official requirementEvery marriage entered into in which either person has not attained the age of 18 years is void.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The application asks each applicant to declare whether they are single, widowed or divorced, but the Recorder's Office publishes no requirement to produce a divorce decree or a death certificate. Do not assume none exists — confirm with the office if a prior marriage ended recently.
Not published by this office
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $169
Certified copies of the recorded marriage certificate are a separate $3 each and are not sent to couples automatically. Replacing a lost or damaged license document before the wedding costs $1 per document.
Official requirementThere is a fee of $169 to apply for a marriage license.
- Payment methods
- Official requirement
- In person: cash, check, money order, or debit or credit card
- By mail: check, money order, or cashier's check payable to King County Recorder
- A mailed check or money order must show your address; starter checks are not accepted
We accept cash, checks, money orders, and credit and debit cards at our office.
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- 3 days
The license is issued straight away but cannot be used for three days. Applying in person, the clock starts on the day the payment is finalised at the Recorder's Office.
Official requirementWashington state law requires a three-day waiting period before a marriage license can be used.
- Waiver
- No. The three-day waiting period cannot be waived, including by court order.
The Recorder's Office repeats this in two places and attributes it to state law.
Official requirementThis waiting period cannot be waived under any circumstances, including court order.
- License expires
- 60 days
The 60 days run from the date of issuance, not from the end of the waiting period, so the usable window is days 4 through 60. A license not used in time becomes void and you must apply and pay again.
Official requirementOnce you've applied for and received your marriage license, your ceremony must take place within 60 days after the date your license was issued.
- Where it is valid
- Valid anywhere in Washington State, and only in Washington. A King County license may be used for a ceremony in another Washington county, but the completed certificate still comes back to King County.
Unlike Illinois, Washington does not confine the license to the issuing county.
Official requirementI further understand that the marriage must be solemnized in Washington State.
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
- At least two witnesses must sign the Certificate of Marriage immediately after the ceremony, along with both parties and the officiant. More than two may sign.
State law sets no witness age. The Recorder's Office treats 18 as the usual threshold for competence and recommends that, if someone under 18 witnesses the ceremony, two witnesses over 18 also observe the vows and sign.
Official requirementImmediately following the ceremony, the couple, the officiant, and at least two witnesses must sign the license.
- Officiant
- The ceremony may be performed by licensed or ordained clergy or a similar official of any religious organization, or by a wide range of active or retired judges, justices and court commissioners. No registration with King County or Washington State is required. Neither person getting married may perform the ceremony, and the ceremony itself must take place in Washington State.
Clergy from any state may officiate in Washington if their religious organization permits them to perform ceremonies outside their own state. A judge may charge a fee and must be contacted directly.
Official requirementAs long as the relative or friend meets the criteria for wedding officiants described in Washington state law, they can officiate without any further registration with King County or Washington State.
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
- The officiant has 30 days from the date of the ceremony to return the completed Certificate of Marriage to the King County Recorder's Office, by mail or in person. If King County issued the license the certificate comes back to King County even when the ceremony took place in another county.
The office verifies and records the certificate on receipt; certified copies can be ordered once it appears in the online records search.
Official requirementThe person who performs your ceremony, called the officiant, has 30 days from the date of the ceremony to return the Certificate of Marriage.
- Processing
- A three-day turnaround is not guaranteed. The Recorder's Office warns it may run several days behind on both applications and certificates, especially in peak season. Processed mail packets are returned by USPS Priority Mail or FedEx to a physical address — P.O. boxes are not accepted.
Certified copies of the recorded certificate cost $3 each and are never sent automatically.
Official requirementDon't wait until the last minute! Due to staffing, the Recorder's Office cannot guarantee a three-day turnaround.
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
- Official requirement
- King County states it is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA
- Alternative formats can be requested on 206-263-2446 (TTY 7-1-1)
- The Recorder's Office publishes a TTY Relay 711 contact alongside its phone number
- The online Marriage Kiosk offers instructions in English, Spanish and Chinese
- Site-wide translation is offered mainly through Google Translate, which King County warns may be inaccurate
King County is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 level AA.
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in King County?
- The fee is $169, set by the King County Recorder's Office, Records and Licensing Services Division.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in King 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 King 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 King County?
- No. King County does not require both applicants to appear.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in King County?
- There is no residency requirement. Applicants do not have to live in Washington State, and do not have to apply in the county where they live or in the county where the ceremony will take place.
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 30, 2026.
- Marriage licensingKing County Recorder's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Marriage Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)King County Recorder's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Marriage License Application — State of Washington, King County (Affidavit)King County Recorder's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Marriage Kiosk — online marriage license application (applicant requirements screen)King County Recorder's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Web accessibility statementKing County · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
- RCW 26.04.180 — License — Time limitations as to issuance and useWashington State Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
- RCW 26.04.010 — Marriage contract — Void marriagesWashington State Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
- RCW 26.04.070 — Form of solemnizationWashington State Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26
Recorded conflicts
- The banner at the top of the marriage licensing page says "Licenses are valid for 60 days after the three-day waiting period", which would imply a 63-day window. The "Have the ceremony" section of the same page, the county's own application affidavit and RCW 26.04.180 all measure the 60 days from the date of issuance. The shorter, statute-matching reading is recorded here: the usable window is days 4 through 60 after issuance.
- The marriage licensing page states the three-day waiting period "begins when the license is issued, not when the marriage application is submitted", while RCW 26.04.180 and the county's own affidavit measure it from the date the application is filed. The page elsewhere says the clock starts on the day payment is finalised in person, so in practice the two dates coincide and no gap is published.
- Identification requirements are not published anywhere on the Recorder's Office marriage pages or on its application form. Recorded as not published rather than inferred from other Washington counties.
- Identification was searched again on 30 July 2026, one level deeper: the Recorder's Office landing page, the fees and payment information page, the copy-requests page, the form and document library (which holds only the marriage application and the certificate copy request), and the applicant-requirements screen of the county's own Marriage Kiosk at recordsearch.kingcounty.gov. The kiosk sets out age, marital status, kinship, residency and Social Security rules and still names no identification. The only "what to bring" King County publishes is payment.
- King County publishes no identification rule for ordering a certified copy of a marriage certificate either, so there is no adjacent records-office ID policy that could have been stretched to cover licensing.
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