To meet Georgia marriage license requirements, both partners must appear together at a county probate court with valid photo identification, pay the county’s fee (roughly $26 to $77), and, if either was married before, bring proof that the prior marriage ended. The license is issued the same day. There is no waiting period, no blood test, and no expiration date once you have it in hand.
Who Can Legally Marry in Georgia
Both partners must be at least 18. A 17-year-old may marry only if they have been legally emancipated for at least 15 days, the other partner is no more than four years older, and the 17-year-old completes a premarital education course. No one under 17 can marry in Georgia under any circumstances.1Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-2 – Who May Contract Marriage; Emancipation Requirement; Minimum Age for Marriage
Georgia prohibits marriages between close relatives, including parent and child (or stepchild), siblings of the full or half blood, grandparent and grandchild, and aunt/nephew or uncle/niece. A marriage that violates these rules is void from the start.2Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-3 – Degrees of Relationship Within Which Intermarriage Prohibited; Penalty; Effect of Prohibited Marriage
If either of you was married before, the earlier marriage must have legally ended before you apply. Bring a certified divorce decree or annulment order to the probate court. Marrying while still legally married to someone else is bigamy, a criminal offense in Georgia.3Justia. Georgia Code 16-6-20 – Bigamy
What to Bring to the Probate Court
Both partners must appear in person with valid photo identification. Acceptable forms include a state-issued driver’s license or ID card, a valid passport, or a valid military ID. Some counties also ask for a second form of identification, such as an original or certified birth certificate, so check with your specific county before you go.4Fulton County Probate Court, GA. Marriage Licenses All documents must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation.
Also bring your method of payment, any divorce decree or annulment paperwork from a prior marriage, and, if you want the fee discount, your signed premarital education certificate.
Where to Apply and How Long It Takes
If at least one of you is a Georgia resident, you can apply at any probate court in any county. If neither of you lives in Georgia, you must apply in the county where the ceremony will take place.5Georgia.gov. Apply for a Marriage License Several counties let you complete the application online and print it in advance, which shortens the courthouse visit. Plan for about 10 to 30 minutes of processing time.
The probate court issues the license on the spot once your documents check out. There is no waiting period before the ceremony, so you could marry the same day you apply.
Marriage License Fees
Georgia’s statutory fee is $56 without premarital education and $16 with a qualifying certificate. Counties add their own administrative charges on top, so total costs at the counter run roughly $60 to $77 without the discount, or about $26 to $37 with it. The $40 reduction is consistent statewide because it comes from the statute; the administrative add-ons are what vary.
How to Get the Premarital Education Discount
Both partners must complete at least six hours of premarital education together within 12 months before applying for the license.6Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-30.1 – Premarital Education The program must be conducted by either a licensed mental health professional (a professional counselor, social worker, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist licensed in Georgia) or an active member of the clergy or their trained designee, including retired clergy, acting in the course of their ministry.
The provider issues a certificate of completion when you finish. Bring it with you when you apply; the discount is not applied retroactively.
How Long the License Stays Valid
A Georgia marriage license does not expire. Once issued, it remains valid indefinitely, so there is no deadline pressure to schedule your ceremony by a certain date. This is more generous than most states, which typically impose a 30-, 60-, or 90-day window.
Georgia does not require a blood test or any medical screening before issuing a license. That requirement was dropped on July 1, 2003.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Georgia law limits who can solemnize a marriage. Authorized officiants include the Governor or any former Governor, any judge of a state or federal court of record in Georgia, a city recorder, a magistrate, or a minister or other person authorized by a religious organization to perform marriages.7Athens-Clarke County, GA. Officiant Defined Georgia does not authorize self-solemnization, and online-ordained officiants are not automatically accepted, so confirm your officiant’s credentials before the wedding day.
After the Ceremony: Returning the License and Ordering Copies
The officiant must complete the marriage certificate on the license and return it to the issuing probate court within 30 days of the ceremony. That step is the officiant’s legal responsibility, but it is your marriage record on the line, so follow up. A late return can delay certified copies and complicate name changes or benefits claims that depend on them.
Where you request certified copies later depends on when the marriage took place. For marriages after 1996 or before 1952, contact the probate court in the county where the license was issued. For marriages between 1952 and 1996, request copies from the Georgia Department of Public Health’s State Office of Vital Records, either online through the ROVER system or by mail.8Georgia.gov. Request Vital Records
Probate court copies typically run around $10 each, and mailed requests generally arrive within 5 to 7 business days. Order two or three copies at once so you can submit name change and benefits paperwork in parallel rather than waiting on a single copy to circulate.