Marriage licenses

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! King County wants to make applying for and picking up your marriage license quick and easy.

3-day waiting period, 60-day expiration

When we issue a marriage license, Washington state law requires a 3-day waiting period before you can use it. Licenses are valid for 60 days after the 3-day waiting period.

Requirements

Applicant

Both applicants must currently be unmarried.
Both applicants must be at least 18 years old or can meet the age requirements.
Both applicants must not be nearer of kin to each other than second cousins, whole or half blood.
Both applicants must have current photo ID: U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, U.S. military ID, permanent resident card, driver's license or state photo ID card issued by the Department of Licensing (DOL), or foreign government issued passport.
The couple must pay a $69 application fee.

Age

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, unless they satisfy the requirements for underage applicants listed below.
17-year-olds can apply if one of the following conditions is met:
A parent or legal guardian submits a notarized statement of consent (available at any marriage licensing location). Please bring a certified copy of the applicant's birth certificate or documents establishing legal guardianship.
The applicant is legally emancipated and takes the court-certified copy of the emancipation document with them to apply.
Applicants under age 17 can apply only when the age requirement is waived by a superior court judge of the county in which one of the parties resides. Each party to the marriage that is under 17 years of age must present a waiver specifically naming them.

Residency and citizenship

Marriage license applicants do not have to reside in Washington State or King County.
A marriage license purchased from any county in Washington State can be used to get married anywhere in Washington State.
Applicants do not have to apply for their marriage license in the county where the wedding ceremony will take place.
A marriage license obtained in Washington State cannot be used to get married in another state or country.
Applicants are not required to have a U.S. Social Security number in order to obtain a marriage license. However, one of the marriage license forms requires the inclusion of one's Social Security number OR the applicant's signature on a declaration that they do not have a U.S. Social Security number. This will not impair the couple's ability to receive their marriage license.

Get a marriage license

A marriage license purchased from any county in Washington State can be used to get married anywhere in the state. If you plan to marry in another state or country, you must apply for its marriage license and comply with its laws for getting married. A marriage in another jurisdiction is valid in Washington State if it is not prohibited by Washington state law.

Please note, if the answer is "yes" to the following questions, you cannot apply online for a marriage license:

Are you under the control of a parent or legal guardian/are you under the age of 18?
Are you enrolled in the Address Confidentiality Program?

If you answered yes to either of the above questions, you must either apply by mail or contact KCROMarriage@kingcounty.gov for further instructions.

There are 2 options to get a marriage license.

Apply online

Apply through our online marriage kiosk

You can begin the online application process through the King County Online Marriage Kiosk.

Make sure to fill out all required fields for both parties. Required fields are shaded light yellow.

You will be prompted to enter your current physical address(es). If you would like your paperwork mailed to a different address, please indicate that in your email or in person, when completing the process.
Complete the process over the phone
After completing the Online Marriage Kiosk, if you would like to complete the process over the phone, email us with the following information:
- The transaction number generated after you submitted your application.
- At least 1 good telephone number for us to contact you at to complete the payment.
Recorder's Office staff will call you to accept the credit/debit payment within 3 business days between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

We will make two attempts to reach you by phone. If we are unable to reach you, we will leave a voicemail if possible. If we are still unable to make contact, you will receive an email with a deadline to reply by, or we will assume you are no longer interested in proceeding with the marriage application process.
Complete the process in person
If you would like to complete the process in person:
- Take note of the transaction number generated after you submitted your application.
- Finalize the process at our Seattle office (King County Recorder's Office, 201 S. Jackson St., Ste. 204, Seattle, WA 98104).
Both parties must be present with a valid photo I.D:
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID
- Permanent resident card
- Driver's license
- State photo ID card issued by the Department of Licensing (DOL)
- Foreign government issued passport
You must bring payment for the $69 application fee (payable with cash, check, money order, debit or credit card).

Apply by mail

Complete the application

If you'd like to apply by mail, you can begin by printing and completing the application.

Make sure to have the application notarized. Please note that King County does not provide notary service.
Send us your application and payment

Send us the original notarized application with a check or money order for $69

King County Recorder's Office, 201 S. Jackson St., Ste. 204, Seattle, WA 98104.

Payable to King County Recorder

Starter checks are not acceptable
Check on your application

Check to see if your application has been processed by searching our online records. If your record shows a "Marriage Application" Doc Type, then your license is ready for pick up.

You or someone you authorize must pick up the license at our Seattle office (201 S. Jackson St., second floor, Seattle, WA 98104).

Obtaining the license is just the first step in making your marriage official. Select the "Have the ceremony" tab to review the next step.

Before the ceremony

Where can we get married?

Can a person under the age of 18 be a witness?

State law does not specify the age of witnesses; however, the person is witnessing a civil contract. As such, a witness is deemed "competent" for this purpose usually at the age of 18. If applicants wish to have persons under the age of 18 witness the ceremony, we recommend they have two other witnesses who are over 18 also observe the exchange of vows and sign the marriage certificates. More than two witnesses may sign the certificate.

Can the 3-day waiting period be waived?

No. The license validity period is mandated by Washington State law and cannot be waived for any reason. Keep in mind the license is considered valid between the first and last dates referenced on the license.

How do I get a Single Status or No Impediment document?

Some jurisdictions require a Single Status or No Impediment document stating that neither party to a planned marriage is currently married. If you are a resident of King County who needs such a document, you can request a Single Status search in person at the King County Customer Service Center:

King County Recorder's Office

201 S. Jackson St., Suite 204

Seattle, WA 98104

You can also request a search by mail at the address above. You must submit a Single Status request form and a copy of your photo ID. We will send you a letter that states whether or not we found any marriage records. The charge is $8 for every five years searched. Please know that search results are limited to King County only. You may also check with the Washington State Center for Health Statistics for a search of state-recorded marriage certificates.

Note that Washington State does not require a Single Status or No Impediment document stating that neither party is currently married in order to obtain a marriage license.

We lost or damaged our license forms. What can we do?

Prior to the wedding, you may come into our office to complete an Affidavit of Loss and we can replace the documents that were lost or damaged. We charge $1 for each document being replaced. If you are unable to come in person, you may complete the Affidavit of Loss in front of a notary public and mail it to our office with payment.

If you think your completed marriage certificate has been lost, you should first check with your officiant to see if or when they returned it to our office. If it has been more than 30 days since your wedding and the certificate still has not been recorded, then contact our office and we will determine if an Affidavit of Loss is appropriate.

Important notes

Don't wait until the last minute! Due to staffing, the Recorder's Office cannot guarantee a three-day turnaround. We may run a few days behind processing marriage applications and marriage certificates, especially during peak periods of the year.
Please print legibly or type the information on your application. This cuts down on data entry errors.
Your application should reflect your current full, legal names, not the name(s) you intend to take after marriage.
Your application must be notarized.
Please include at least one phone number where you can be reached during the day.
Enclose a check or money order for $69 payable to King County. The check or money order must include your address. Starter checks are not accepted.
Please provide a physical mailing address where we should return your packet. P.O. boxes are not acceptable. If you do not include a return address, we will use the one on the application.
Packets will be returned by USPS Priority Mail or FedEx once your application has been processed.

During the ceremony

Officiator

State law prescribes who can perform a marriage ceremony: active and retired Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, Superior Court judges, Superior Court commissioners, and judges of courts of limited jurisdiction, as well as any regularly licensed or ordained minister or priest of any church or religious denomination. See Chapter 26.04 of Washington state law for a complete list.

Ministers from any state may perform marriage ceremonies, but the ceremony must be performed in the State of Washington. Neither person getting married may perform the ceremony.

To schedule a wedding with a judge, click on the links below for instructions and contact information:

King County District Court

King County Superior Court

Marriage certificate

Immediately following the ceremony, the couple, the officiant, and two witnesses must sign the marriage certificate. It is the officiant's responsibility to complete and return the license to King County within 30 days after the ceremony.

After the ceremony

What do we do with the marriage certificate?

Immediately following the ceremony, the couple, the officiant, and two witnesses must sign the license. It is the officiant's responsibility to complete and return the license to King County within 30 days after the ceremony. The officiant can drop it off in person at the King County Customer Service Center or use the self-addressed envelope provided in your application packet to mail it.

How can we verify if our marriage certificate has been processed?

If you were married in 1991 or later, check if your certificate has been processed by searching online records. If your record shows a "Marriage Certificate" doc type, then you can request a copy.

If you were married in 1990 or earlier, you can request copies from Washington State Digital Archives.

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