Yes, Vegas weddings are legally binding. A marriage performed in Las Vegas carries the same legal weight as a marriage anywhere else in the United States, and every other state must recognize it, as long as you follow Nevada’s rules for a valid license, an authorized officiant, and a proper ceremony.
Why a Las Vegas Marriage Is Legal
Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 governs every marriage performed in the state.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.062 If you meet its requirements, you are legally married from the moment you finish your vows. The venue is irrelevant to the law. A drive-through chapel on the Strip, a hotel suite, and a courthouse ceremony all produce the same legal result.
Three things have to line up:
- A valid Nevada marriage license, issued before the ceremony
- An officiant authorized under Nevada law to solemnize marriages
- A ceremony in which both parties declare they take each other as spouses, in front of the officiant and at least one witness
Nevada does not require a blood test and does not impose a waiting period between the license and the ceremony. You can apply for a license and get married the same day. That is a large part of why Las Vegas became a wedding destination in the first place.
One thing Nevada does not offer: common-law marriage. Living together and calling yourselves married has not created a legal marriage in Nevada since 1943. You need the license and the ceremony.
Will Your Home State Recognize a Vegas Wedding?
Yes. The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution requires every state to respect the public acts and records of every other state.2Constitution Annotated. Overview of Full Faith and Credit Clause A couple who marries in Las Vegas and flies home is legally married in their home state the moment they land, without any extra paperwork, filing, or ceremony.
Most countries also recognize a valid U.S. marriage. Some require an apostille on the marriage certificate before their agencies will accept it, which you can request from the Nevada Secretary of State once you have a certified copy of your certificate. If you plan to use the marriage abroad, check the destination country’s requirements before you travel.
What You Have to Do for the Marriage to Be Valid
Get the License
Every Las Vegas wedding starts at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau at 201 E. Clark Ave. Both people have to appear together, in person, to finalize the application and pick up the license.3Clark County, NV. How to Get Married in Las Vegas The bureau is open seven days a week, and you can pre-apply online to cut down time at the window.
Both applicants must be at least 18. A 17-year-old Nevada resident may marry only with parental consent and a court order from a Nevada district court judge finding, by clear and convincing evidence, that the marriage serves the minor’s best interests.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.025 No one under 17 can legally marry in Nevada.
Each person needs original government-issued photo ID showing name and date of birth. Accepted documents include a U.S. or foreign passport, a U.S. driver’s license or state ID, a military ID, a foreign government-issued ID card that shows a date of birth, or immigration documents such as a Permanent Resident Card, Certificate of Citizenship, or Certificate of Naturalization. Photocopies and digital images are not accepted.5Clark County, NV. Marriage License Requirements
If either of you was previously married, you’ll need to give the date and location of the divorce, annulment, or spouse’s death. You don’t have to bring the court paperwork, but the information has to be accurate.
The license fee is $102, plus a convenience charge if you pay by card.3Clark County, NV. How to Get Married in Las Vegas Once issued, the license is good for one year.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.040 There is no Nevada residency requirement, so neither of you needs to be a U.S. citizen or resident.
Have the Ceremony
Nevada law does not prescribe a specific ceremony format. The only legal requirement is that both parties declare, in front of an authorized officiant and at least one witness, that they take each other as spouses.7Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.110 Religious or secular, elaborate or bare-bones, rings or no rings — legally, none of that matters.
The witness requirement does matter. At least one witness besides the officiant has to be present at every ceremony. Most chapels supply one if you don’t bring your own, but couples doing a private ceremony need to plan for it.
The officiant has to be authorized under Nevada law. That includes ministers and other religious officials in good standing with a church or religious organization in Nevada, judges and justices of the peace, commissioners of civil marriages and their deputies, notaries public appointed by the Nevada Secretary of State, marriage officiants who hold a certificate of permission, and military chaplains assigned to duty in Nevada. Non-judicial officiants must first obtain a certificate of permission to perform marriages from the county clerk.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.062
There is a helpful backstop in the law. Even if it later turns out the officiant’s credentials were defective, the marriage is still valid as long as either spouse genuinely believed they were being lawfully married.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.090
Get the Certificate Filed
After the ceremony, the officiant, the couple, and the witness sign the marriage certificate. The officiant is then legally responsible for delivering the completed certificate to the county clerk or county recorder within 10 days.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 – NRS 122.130 That filing is what puts the marriage on the public record. It’s the officiant’s job, not yours, but it’s worth confirming they’ve done it.
Certified copies of the marriage certificate cost $20 each from the Clark County Clerk’s office.10Clark County, NV. Fees Order several. You’ll need originals for anything that asks for proof of marriage.
Can You Undo a Vegas Wedding?
The impulsive-Vegas-wedding stereotype makes this the obvious next question. Nevada does allow annulment, but only on specific grounds. Changing your mind is not one of them. The grounds are:
- Lack of understanding at the time of the ceremony, meaning one party was incapable of consenting. This is the closest thing to an intoxication defense, but severe impairment has to be shown. Simply being drunk is rarely enough on its own.
- Fraud in obtaining consent, but only if the deceived party did not continue living with the other spouse after discovering the fraud.
- Lack of the required parental or court consent, for a 17-year-old, if raised within one year of the minor turning 18.
- Any ground that would void a contract in equity, a catch-all that covers situations like duress or coercion.
Annulment is not automatic. It requires a court action in Nevada, and the person seeking it has to prove the grounds. Couples who keep living together after the issue that would justify annulment generally lose the ability to pursue one. If annulment doesn’t apply, the only way out of a Vegas marriage is divorce, which confirms the underlying point: the marriage was fully legal the whole time.