Marriage Licenses Effective June 2020

At this time, marriage licenses will be issued by appointment only and only at the following locations: Please visit County Clerk Website for current information.

 

North County Branch Office Wells Fargo Building/Parking 222 S. Harbor Blvd., Ste. 110 Anaheim, CA 92805 Appointments from 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Old Orange County Courthouse 211 West Santa Ana Blvd. Santa Ana, CA 92701 Appointments from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

South County Branch Office Laguna Hills Civic Center 24031 El Toro Road, Ste. 150 Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Appointments from 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

A marriage license is valid for 90 days. There are no citizenship or residency requirements, nor are blood tests required to obtain a marriage license. Applicants must be over 18 years old. There are absolutely no refunds for expired marriage licenses or if you have a change plans.

The department will be offering appointments and will be implementing strict social distancing guidelines as well as the following restrictions to ensure the safety of the couples and staff:

• • For couples looking to obtain a marriage license, only the couple can be present. No guest allowed.
  • For couples looking to obtain a public marriage license and have a ceremony performed, only the couple and one witnesses may be present. No guests allowed.
  • For couples looking to obtain a confidential marriage license and have a ceremony, only the couple can be present. No guests allowed.
  • Couples must present valid government issued photo identification at their appointment.
  • The following forms of payment are accepted: cash, credit/debit card, personal check, money order or a cashier’s check.
  • All marriage ceremonies will be performed at the service desk/counter. Ceremony rooms are not available at this time.
  • No walk-in applicants will be taken during this time.

To complete the application for a marriage license, a couple must:

• • Appear together in person.
  • Each person must present one form of a valid non-expired, government issued, photo identification (such as a driver’s license or passport).
  • If divorced within the last 90 days, please provide a copy of the divorce decree.
  • If spouse is deceased within the previous 90 days, please provide a certified copy of the death certificate.
  • Select the name each wishes to use after marriage, to be listed on the marriage license.
  • Couples are not required to change their names nor are they required to take the same name. However, if a name change is desired, it must be correctly reflected before the marriage license is signed.
  • Once the license is signed, names can only be changed by a court order.
  • The couple must provide at least one witness if they are a having a marriage ceremony performed at any of our available locations after having obtained a public marriage license. The department will not provide witnesses under any circumstances.
  • A marriage ceremony will not be performed if a couple doesn’t have a witness present who can sign their public marriage license and who can physically witness the marriage ceremony.
• • Both individuals must be able to read, speak and understand English. If not, the couple’s must bring a sole witness who is able to translate in order to obtain a license and to have a ceremony performed. The department does not provide translation services nor witnesses.

Complete Your Application and Make an Appointment

Couples must complete their marriage license application and make an appointment online prior visiting our office.
Marriage license applications can be completed at https://ocweddings.ocrecorder.com/#/
Again service is by appointment only. No appointment, no service.

Public Marriage License

A public marriage license becomes a public record and anyone can request an informational copy. This license can be used anywhere in the State of California. The cost for a public marriage license is $61.

Confidential Marriage License

A confidential marriage license becomes a confidential record, and the only people able to obtain information about it are the couple, except by special court order. The requirements to obtain this type of license are:

• Couple must be living together prior to the marriage.  NO witness is required.
• This license can be used anywhere in the State of California.

The cost for a confidential marriage license is $66.