You do not have to be ordained to marry someone in Kansas. State law authorizes ordained clergy and religious authorities, but it also lets any active judge or justice of a court of record, any municipal judge, and any retired judge or justice perform the ceremony. Kansas even allows a couple to marry each other without an officiant in certain religious circumstances. Ordination is one route among several.
Who Kansas Law Allows to Officiate
K.S.A. 23-2504 lists five categories of people who can solemnize a marriage in Kansas:1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
- Any currently ordained member of the clergy or religious authority of any denomination or religious society.
- A licentiate of a denominational body, or a person appointed by a bishop as regular clergy of a church within that denomination, provided the church’s rules do not prohibit it.
- Any active judge or justice of a Kansas court of record.
- Any municipal judge of a Kansas city.
- Any retired judge or justice of a court of record.
The statute does not define “ordained,” “religious denomination,” or “religious authority.” There is also no state registration requirement for officiants in Kansas, meaning no one has to file paperwork with any government office before performing a ceremony.
Are Online Ordinations Valid in Kansas?
Organizations like the Universal Life Church and American Marriage Ministries offer free ordinations that take minutes to complete. Because Kansas law requires only that a person be “currently ordained” and does not spell out how ordination must be obtained, these online ordinations are generally accepted for officiating weddings in the state. No Kansas court has ruled them invalid, and there is no state screening process that would filter them out.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
A handful of other states have challenged the legitimacy of online ordinations. Kansas is not among them. Thousands of Kansas weddings have been performed by people ordained this way, and the absence of a statutory definition works in their favor.
Marrying Without an Officiant
Kansas is one of a small number of states that allows a couple to marry without any officiant. Under K.S.A. 23-2504(c), two people can marry by declaring to each other that they take one another as spouses, so long as the ceremony follows the customs, rules, or regulations of a religious society, denomination, or sect to which at least one of them belongs.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
This is sometimes called self-solemnization. The religious connection is the catch: at least one partner has to belong to a religious group whose traditions allow for marriages conducted this way. Quaker meetings, for example, have historically solemnized marriages through the couple’s own declarations before the congregation rather than through a presiding officiant. A couple with no affiliation to any such religious group cannot use this provision. A valid marriage license and two adult witnesses are still required.
Witnesses and the License
Every Kansas marriage ceremony, whether led by an officiant or self-solemnized, must take place in the presence of at least two competent witnesses over 18 years old. The witnesses cannot be the officiant. Their role is to observe the ceremony and sign the marriage license. “Competent” means they are of sound mind and understand what they are observing. There is no residency requirement, so out-of-state guests can serve.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
A valid marriage license has to be in hand before the ceremony. Applications go through the Kansas Judicial Branch website, and there is a mandatory three-day waiting period before the license is issued.28th Judicial District of Kansas. Marriage License Information The statutory fee is $59, with possible additional charges depending on the judicial district.3Kansas Legislature. Kansas Statutes 23-2510 – Marriage License Fee Kansas has no residency requirement for the couple either, so out-of-state couples can obtain a license and marry here.
What the Officiant Signs and Returns
After performing the ceremony, the officiant completes the designated sections on the marriage license, prints their name and title, and signs the form to certify the marriage was properly solemnized. The endorsed license then has to be returned to the clerk of the district court that issued it. The statute says the return must happen “immediately after performing the ceremony.”4Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2505 – Issuance of Marriage License; Form In practice, most courts expect it within a few business days. Delay holds up the official recording of the marriage and the couple’s access to a certified marriage certificate.
If the Officiant Wasn’t Actually Authorized
Two things happen when a person who is not legally authorized performs a marriage ceremony. The person who officiated commits a misdemeanor under K.S.A. 23-2517, punishable by a fine of up to $100, up to six months in county jail, or both.5Kansas Legislature. Kansas Statutes 23-2517 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Not Authorized; Penalty
For the couple, Kansas law generally protects the validity of a marriage when the parties genuinely believed the officiant had authority to perform the ceremony. The legal consequence sits with the unauthorized officiant, not with a couple who relied on that person in good faith. If a friend said they were ordained and it later turned out they were not, the marriage is not automatically void.