A Florida marriage license costs $86, or $61 if you complete a state-registered premarital course. That $25 discount only applies if you carry the original completion certificate to the clerk’s office; printouts from unregistered websites get rejected. The same certificate also waives the three-day waiting period for Florida residents, though out-of-state couples never faced that delay at all.
What a Florida Marriage License Costs
A Florida marriage license runs $86 standard, or $61 if you finish a premarital course. The $25 break is real money, especially when the whole wedding budget is a spreadsheet of compromises.
The course has to clock at least four hours through a provider registered with the state, and you need to carry the original completion certificate to the clerk’s office. No printout from a random website counts. Florida residents get the extra win: that same certificate wipes out the three-day waiting period, which for out-of-state couples never applied anyway. Their course only buys the discount.
Fees are set statewide but you pay them at your county clerk. In Miami-Dade, for example, a certified copy of your license runs $7, a duplicate or amended license is $30, and the clerk charges $4 as a provider fee on top. Cash, cards, and money orders are accepted, though exact payment rules vary by office.
Who Can Apply and What to Bring
Both parties have to show up in person to apply, no exceptions. Bring a valid photo ID, a driver’s license or passport works, and know your Social Security number. The card itself stays home. If either of you was married before, the clerk will ask for the exact date that marriage ended, whether by divorce, annulment, or death. You do not need to haul in the decree or certificate, just the date.
Florida dropped the blood test requirement years ago, so that is one less errand.
You must be 18 to marry on your own. At 17, a minor can apply with written consent from both parents and a notarized affidavit, plus the future spouse has to sign one too. The catch: the older partner cannot be more than two years older. The minor also needs a birth certificate and the same photo ID and Social Security documentation as adult applicants.
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The Waiting Period and How to Skip It
Florida residents face a mandatory three-day waiting period after receiving a marriage license before the ceremony can legally proceed. Completing a four-hour premarital preparation course from a registered provider waives this entirely, and the couple must present the original certificate of completion at the time of application. The course also drops the license fee from $86 to $61, which for most couples roughly covers the $25 to $40 the online course itself typically costs. The certificate stays valid for one year from completion.
Non-residents skip this whole question. No waiting period applies at all, so an out-of-state couple can apply and marry the same day.
Proof of residency is what the county clerk uses to decide which rule applies. A valid Florida driver’s license, state ID, or other documentation showing a Florida address will place you under the resident rules and the three-day hold. Without that documentation, you are treated as a non-resident for waiting-period purposes even if you actually live in the state, so bringing the right paperwork matters.
How Long the License Stays Valid
A Florida marriage license stays valid for 60 days from the date it is issued, and the ceremony has to fall inside that window or the couple starts over. The clock starts at issuance, not at the effective date when waiting periods end, which is the detail that tripped me up when I first read the statute. I had assumed the 60-day countdown began once the license was actually usable, but Florida Statute 741.041 ties expiration to issuance, period. No grace period exists if day 61 rolls around unused. The license simply expires, the fees are gone, and reapplying means paying again in full.
Who Can Officiate Your Ceremony
Florida allows more people to officiate than most couples expect. Notaries public can solemnize marriages here, an option that surprises anyone used to states where only clergy or judges qualify.
The full list of who can sign your license:
- Ordained ministers, elders, or other clergy in communion with a church
- Judicial officers, including retired judges
- Clerks of the circuit court and their deputies
- Florida notaries public with active commissions
- Quakers or Friends, following the practices of their society
- Ship captains, but only if they are also notaries and the vessel sits within three geographic miles of Florida’s coastline at ceremony time
Your officiant must be physically present and must sign the license after the ceremony. The person who performs the marriage also has the legal duty to return the completed license to the clerk’s office where it was issued, typically within ten days. One thing Florida does not permit: the couple cannot officiate their own wedding, so someone from the list above needs to be there.
Getting Certified Copies After the Wedding
The officiant has ten days to return your signed license to the clerk’s office that issued it. Most counties include a prepaid envelope for this, which is easy to overlook in the post-wedding blur. Once the record is filed, certified copies run about $7 each in Miami-Dade or $3 in Hillsborough and Bay counties, and the first copy is sometimes free.
You will need those copies. Social Security, the DMV, and your bank all want to see one before they will update your name. Some counties mail a certified copy automatically within a week of recording; others wait for you to ask. In Bay County you can walk in, mail a request, or email their form. Miami-Dade also takes mail-in requests, though older records need a separate search fee.
The copy fee is separate from the license fee, and you can usually pay when you apply or after the ceremony. My suggestion is to order at least two certified copies upfront. One will go to the Social Security office and likely never come back. The other stays in your files for the next insurance form or lease that asks for proof of marriage. Running short and having to reorder by mail weeks later is the kind of small friction that turns a simple name change into a months-long project.
Applying From Out of State
Out-of-state couples catch one break that Florida residents do not: the three-day waiting period is waived entirely for non-residents, so a license picked up Monday morning is valid Monday afternoon. The standard fee still applies, running roughly $93.50 though exact amounts shift by county.
The trickier part is getting that license without two separate trips to a clerk’s office. Some Florida counties now accept mail-in applications, and a few have offered Zoom or remote application options in recent years. Which counties do this, and whether they still do, changes often enough that published lists go stale fast. County clerk websites sometimes post current procedures, but the details I found while researching this piece already looked dated in places.
My recommendation is to call the specific county clerk’s office directly. Ask whether they accept mail-in or remote applications, what notarization they require, and how long processing takes. A ten-minute phone call beats showing up unannounced or trusting a webpage that hasn’t been updated since the policy changed.
What I Paid and What I Wish I Had Known
The Miami-Dade County Clerk’s office charged me $93.50, not the $86 I had budgeted from the state website, because fees vary by county and nobody had mentioned that detail. I had taken the four-hour premarital course online for $29.95, which saved me $25 and waived the three-day waiting period as a Florida resident, so the net savings was roughly a wash but the timeline flexibility mattered more than I expected. My practical mistake came the morning of: I brought a printout of the course completion certificate that was eleven months old, and the clerk pointed out it expires at one year exactly. I had completed it early thinking I was being prepared. The certificate cleared by three days. A non-resident would not have faced that waiting period regardless, so the course only affects their fee, not their timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a marriage license cost in Florida?
A Florida marriage license costs $86, or $61 if you complete a state-approved premarital preparation course. The $25 discount roughly covers the course fee itself, which typically runs $25 to $40. Exact amounts vary slightly by county, Miami-Dade charges $93.50 total for some applicants.
Is there a waiting period for marriage licenses in Florida?
Florida residents face a mandatory three-day waiting period after receiving their license before they can marry. Completing a four-hour premarital course from a registered provider waives this entirely. Out-of-state couples have no waiting period at all and can marry the same day they apply.
How long is a Florida marriage license valid?
A Florida marriage license stays valid for 60 days from the date it is issued, not from when any waiting period ends. The ceremony must take place within that window. If day 61 passes unused, the license expires, the fees are gone, and you must reapply and pay again.
What identification is required to obtain a marriage license in Florida?
Both applicants need a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport, and they must know their Social Security numbers though the physical card stays home. If previously married, you need the exact date the prior marriage ended. Minors need additional documentation including birth certificates and parental consent.
Can I get married the same day I get my marriage license in Florida?
Yes, if you are a non-resident or a Florida resident who has already completed a premarital preparation course and brought the original certificate. Non-residents can apply and marry immediately with no extra steps. Residents without the course must wait three full days after issuance.
