A Gwinnett County marriage license costs $56.00 at the Probate Court in Lawrenceville, or $16.00 if both applicants complete a qualifying premarital education program. Both partners must appear together, in person, with valid proof of age and, if either was married before, proof that the prior marriage ended. The license is issued the same day, and Georgia licenses never expire, so there is no deadline to hold the ceremony afterward.
What to Bring
Each applicant needs one document proving age. Gwinnett accepts a birth certificate, driver’s license, passport, baptismal certificate, military ID, immigration papers, citizenship papers, or armed forces discharge papers.1Gwinnett County Courts. Probate Court – Marriage Licenses and Certificates
If either of you has been married before, bring a final, stamped, and sealed divorce decree. If a former spouse died, a death certificate or obituary will do.1Gwinnett County Courts. Probate Court – Marriage Licenses and Certificates The clerk will look at the dates on these documents, so make sure they clearly show when the prior marriage ended.
Any document in a language other than English must come with a full certified translation. The translator signs the translation, and someone other than the translator notarizes it.1Gwinnett County Courts. Probate Court – Marriage Licenses and Certificates
If you are claiming the discount, bring your signed and dated premarital education certificate.
Where to Go and When
The Gwinnett County Probate Court is on the first floor of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046. Marriage license applications are accepted Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.1Gwinnett County Courts. Probate Court – Marriage Licenses and Certificates Both applicants must appear together.
There is no waiting period for adult applicants. Once the clerk processes the application and you swear an oath that the information you provided is truthful, the license is issued the same visit.
Cost and the Premarital Education Discount
The standard license fee is $56.00. Couples who have both completed a qualifying premarital education program pay $16.00.2Gwinnett County Courts. Free Wedding Ceremonies – Probate Court
To qualify, the program must include at least six hours of instruction covering conflict management, communication skills, and financial responsibilities. It has to be delivered by a licensed counselor, a psychologist, a clinical social worker, or a member of the clergy.3Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-30.1 – Premarital Education; Fees Your provider gives you a certificate of completion, which you hand to the clerk with your application.
Gwinnett Probate Court also offers free wedding ceremonies for couples who already hold a valid license, which pairs well with the discount if you want a simple courthouse wedding without hiring an officiant.
Who Can Apply
Both applicants must be at least 18, of sound mind, and free of any undissolved prior marriage.4Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-2 – Who May Contract Marriage; Emancipation Requirement; Minimum Age for Marriage The court will not take your word that a previous marriage ended. You have to prove it with the divorce decree or death record described above.
A 17-year-old can qualify only in narrow circumstances: the minor has been emancipated by court order, at least 15 days have passed since that order, the older partner is no more than four years older, and both applicants complete premarital education.1Gwinnett County Courts. Probate Court – Marriage Licenses and Certificates No one under 17 can be issued a Georgia marriage license for any reason.4Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-2 – Who May Contract Marriage; Emancipation Requirement; Minimum Age for Marriage
State law also voids marriages between close relatives, including parent and child (including stepchildren), siblings (whether full or half-blood), grandparent and grandchild, aunt and nephew, and uncle and niece.5Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-3 – Degrees of Relationship Within Which Marriage Prohibited
You do not have to be a Gwinnett resident. If at least one of you lives in Georgia, you can apply in any Georgia county, and a license issued in Gwinnett is valid for a ceremony held anywhere in the state.6Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-30 – Issuance, Return, and Recording of Marriage Licenses If neither of you is a Georgia resident, the license must be issued in the county where the ceremony will take place. So an out-of-state couple planning to marry in Gwinnett needs to get the license from Gwinnett Probate Court specifically.7Georgia.gov. Apply for a Marriage License
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Georgia authorizes any judge of a state or federal court of record, a magistrate, a city recorder, the Governor or any former Governor, and any minister or other person authorized by a religious organization to perform marriages.6Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-30 – Issuance, Return, and Recording of Marriage Licenses The state does not register officiants, so ministers ordained online generally qualify as long as their organization authorizes them to marry couples. Ask your officiant to have proof of ordination available if the venue requests it.
Georgia does not permit self-uniting marriages. Someone from the list above must perform the ceremony for the marriage to be legally valid.
After the Wedding
Your officiant is responsible for completing, signing, and returning the license to the Probate Court within 30 days of the ceremony.6Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-30 – Issuance, Return, and Recording of Marriage Licenses That is their legal obligation, not yours, but a friendly follow-up is worth the trouble. An unreturned license does not void your marriage; it just creates a paperwork problem you would rather not have.
Certified copies of the marriage certificate cost $10.00 each from Gwinnett Probate Court.2Gwinnett County Courts. Free Wedding Ceremonies – Probate Court Get at least one. The Social Security Administration requires evidence of your identity, your new legal name, and the name-change event before it will update your card,8Social Security Administration. How Do I Change or Correct My Name on My Social Security Number Card and the Georgia Department of Driver Services will want a certified copy to update your driver’s license.
Georgia marriage licenses do not expire, so if you pick up the license and postpone the wedding for months or years, it stays valid.9Fulton County Probate Court. Marriage Licenses
A Few Things Georgia Does Not Require
No blood test. Georgia no longer requires premarital blood tests or any health exam.9Fulton County Probate Court. Marriage Licenses
No common law shortcut. Georgia abolished common law marriage effective January 1, 1997, and no new common law marriage can be formed in the state, no matter how long a couple lives together.10Justia. Georgia Code 19-3-1.1 – Common-Law Marriage Marriages validly formed before that date, or validly formed as common law marriages in other states, are still recognized. For everyone else, the Probate Court license is the only route to a legally recognized marriage in Georgia.