Getting Married in Tennessee From Out of State: Fees and Recognition

Getting married in Tennessee from out of state is straightforward: there is no residency requirement, no waiting period, and no blood test. You and your partner walk into any county clerk’s office together, show ID, pay the fee, and leave with a license that is valid immediately and good for 30 days anywhere in the state.

Who Can Marry Here

Both of you must be at least 18. A 17-year-old can marry with parental consent only if the other party is less than four years older, and no one under 17 can marry at all.¹ Tennessee also prohibits marriages between close blood relatives, including first cousins, and between certain in-laws and stepchildren.²

Neither of you needs to live in Tennessee, and you can apply in any county regardless of where the ceremony will happen. Tennessee dropped its blood test requirement in 1987.

Documents to Bring

Each person needs a valid government-issued photo ID showing date of birth. A driver’s license, state ID, or passport works.³ Some counties ask for two forms of ID, so a backup document like a birth certificate is worth packing.

The application asks for each person’s name, age, current address, and Social Security number.⁴ Without a Social Security number, expect the clerk to ask for proof of foreign citizenship such as a foreign passport or immigration documents.⁵ Most applications also want the names and addresses of each person’s parents or next of kin.

If either of you has been married before, bring proof that the previous marriage ended: a certified copy of the final divorce decree, annulment order, or the former spouse’s death certificate. Showing up without it is one of the most common reasons out-of-state couples get turned away. Also check that your name appears consistently across your documents; a middle name on one ID but not another can slow the clerk down.

Applying at the County Clerk

Both of you must appear together in person. Tennessee does not accept proxy applications, with one narrow exception for an active-duty military member deployed overseas, who can submit a notarized statement and certified deployment orders and attend the ceremony by video conference.⁴

Once the clerk processes the application and takes payment, the license is valid immediately. You can hold the ceremony the same day. It expires 30 days after issuance, and if you miss that window you start over with a new application and a new fee.⁶ Many counties let you complete the application online before your visit, which shortens time at the window. Check the specific county clerk’s website for hours, appointment rules, and accepted payment methods before you travel.

What It Costs

Each county sets its own fee schedule, but expect somewhere between $97 and $108. Davidson County (Nashville) charges $99.50 in cash or $101.49 by card.⁷ Knox County (Knoxville) charges $97.50.³ Montgomery and Rutherford counties charge $107.50.⁵ Most offices take cash and cards, sometimes with a card convenience fee, and some do not accept personal checks.

Save $60 With Premarital Counseling

Tennessee cuts $60 off the license fee if both of you complete a premarital preparation course of at least four hours within the year before you apply.⁸ A licensed counselor or clergy member must teach the course and provide a notarized certificate showing course length and the leader’s name. In Knox County that drops the fee from $97.50 to $37.50.³ If premarital counseling is already in your plans, ask your counselor whether they can provide the required certificate.

Picking an Officiant That Actually Counts

This is where out-of-state couples get into the most trouble. Tennessee law limits who can perform a marriage. Religious officiants must be at least 18 and have active responsibility over a congregation. Authorized government officials include judges, chancellors, county mayors, municipal mayors, the governor, members of the state legislature who have filed the required notice, county clerks, notaries public, and district attorneys general.⁹

The statute expressly says people ordained solely through an online service cannot solemnize marriages, and requires that a religious officiant be ordained through a “considered, deliberate, and responsible act” within a church, temple, or religious organization.⁹ A friend who was ordained on a website last weekend does not meet that standard on the face of the statute.

The picture is complicated by a 2019 federal district court injunction that allows online-ordained ministers to keep performing marriages while a constitutional challenge continues. That litigation is ongoing. Some online-ordained officiants are performing marriages in Tennessee, and those marriages are being recorded, but relying on an injunction that could be lifted introduces real legal risk. If the validity of your marriage matters, use an officiant who clearly qualifies under the statute: a clergy member with an established congregation, or one of the government officials listed above.

The Ceremony and Filing the License

Your ceremony must take place inside Tennessee’s borders during the 30-day window. The state does not require witnesses, and there is no required script, mandated vows, or minimum length. Before the ceremony, hand your license to the officiant. After the ceremony, the officiant fills in the date and time of the marriage and signs the license. That endorsement is the legal act, not any particular words spoken.

The officiant then has three days from the date of the marriage to return the signed license to the county clerk who issued it. Missing that deadline is a Class C misdemeanor.¹⁰ The statute says three days, not three business days, so a Saturday wedding means the license is due back by Tuesday. Confirm with your officiant before the ceremony exactly how and when they will return the paperwork. If you are back home in another state and the license never gets filed, you will not be able to obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

Once the clerk records the license, it becomes part of the county’s records and is also reported to the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records. Certified copies of the marriage certificate cost $15 each from the state Department of Health.¹¹ Some county clerks also issue certified copies directly, sometimes at a lower price. Order at least two or three; you will need them for name changes and other updates.

Will Your Home State Recognize It?

Almost certainly yes. The longstanding rule in the United States is that a marriage valid where it was performed is valid everywhere, and most states have statutes explicitly recognizing out-of-state marriages. As long as your Tennessee ceremony used a valid license and an authorized officiant, your home state will treat you as legally married. The rare public-policy exceptions almost never affect a standard marriage between two adults.

Updating Your Records After the Wedding

If either spouse is changing a last name, the order of these steps matters because each one builds on the last.

Start with the Social Security Administration. File Form SS-5 with your certified marriage certificate (an original or certified copy, not a photocopy) and a current photo ID. The new card is free, and name-change replacements do not count toward the lifetime limit of 10 replacement cards. Wait until the new card arrives before filing taxes under the new name, because the IRS cross-checks names against SSA records and a mismatch can delay your refund.¹²

Next, update your U.S. passport if you have one. Submit a name-change application to the State Department. If your current passport was issued less than a year ago, there is no fee. Expedited service costs $60.¹³

Then update your driver’s license through your home state’s motor vehicle agency. Requirements vary, but you will generally need your certified marriage certificate and your updated Social Security card.

Do not forget employer benefits. Marriage is a qualifying life event that opens a special enrollment window for employer-sponsored health insurance. Federal employees have from 31 days before to 60 days after the marriage.¹⁴ Private employers typically allow 30 to 60 days. Miss the window and you may have to wait until the next open enrollment period.

1
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-105 – Minimum Age of Applicant for Marriage License
2
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-101 – Prohibited Degrees of Relationship
3
Knox County Tennessee Government. Knox County Tennessee Government – Marriage License
4
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-104 – Conditions Precedent to Issuance of License
5
Montgomery County, TN. Marriage Licenses
6
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-103 – License Required – County of Issuance
7
Nashville.gov. Marriage License
8
FindLaw. Tennessee Code 36-6-413 – Premarital Preparation Course
9
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-301 – Persons Who May Solemnize Marriages
10
Justia. Tennessee Code 36-3-303 – Return of License to Clerk
11
State of Tennessee Department of Health. Fees
12
Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card
13
U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
14
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. I’m Getting Married or Remarried