A marriage license in Illinois costs between $30 and $75. Each of the state’s 102 counties sets its own fee, so how much you pay depends on which county clerk issues the license. Beyond the fee itself, you’ll need to apply in person with your partner, bring specific documents, and wait one day after the license is issued before the ceremony.
Marriage License Fees by County
Illinois has no statewide flat fee. Prices are set locally, and the spread is real:
- McHenry County: $301McHenry County, IL. Marriage and Civil Union Records and Licenses
- Lake County: $352Lake County, Illinois. Marriage Licenses
- Cook County: $603Cook County Clerk. Marriage / Civil Union
- Champaign County: $754Champaign County Clerk. Marriage and Civil Union Licenses
Most clerk offices take cash, checks, and money orders. Many also accept credit and debit cards, sometimes with a small processing surcharge. Call ahead if you’d rather not carry cash.
The license fee does not cover certified copies of your marriage certificate. Those are ordered separately after the marriage is recorded, and they generally run about $10 to $12 for the first copy, with additional copies a few dollars each.5Will County, IL Elections. Marriage Certificates Plan on buying several. Banks, insurance companies, the Social Security Administration, and HR departments may each want their own.
Where You Apply Matters
Both applicants must appear together in person at the county clerk’s office in the county where the ceremony will take place. The license is only valid in the county that issues it.6Kane County Clerk. Marriage License Instructions A Cook County license cannot be used for a wedding in DuPage County. If your venue is in a county different from where you live, you go to that county’s clerk.
Some counties, including Cook, let you start the application online. You fill in personal information ahead of time, then still appear in person for signatures, ID verification, and payment.3Cook County Clerk. Marriage / Civil Union Once everything checks out at the counter, the license is usually issued while you wait.6Kane County Clerk. Marriage License Instructions
What to Bring
Both applicants need valid, government-issued photo identification. A driver’s license, state ID, U.S. passport, or military ID works. Non-U.S. citizens can use a foreign passport with readable issue and expiration dates, a Permanent Resident Card, or certain consular identification cards.7Kane County Clerk. Acceptable Forms of Identification Some counties accept two secondary documents (such as a certified birth certificate plus another record with your name and date of birth) if you don’t have a primary photo ID.
You’ll provide your Social Security number on the application, though the card itself doesn’t count as ID. Come prepared with:
- Full legal names and current addresses for both applicants
- Dates and places of birth
- Parents’ full names, including mother’s maiden name, and their places of birth
- Details of any prior marriage: how and when it ended, and the county where the divorce, annulment, or death was recorded
If a previous marriage ended within the last six months, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or death certificate. Clerks may ask for it.
Age and Consent
Both applicants must be at least 18 to marry on their own. A 16- or 17-year-old can still get a license, but both parents or a legal guardian must appear in person at the clerk’s office with valid photo ID and give sworn consent, and the minor must bring a certified copy of their birth certificate.8Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 5/203 – License to Marry If one parent cannot be found despite genuine effort, the other can sign an affidavit that counts as consent from both. If neither parent is available or willing, a judge can authorize the marriage after finding that the minor can handle the responsibilities and that the marriage is in the minor’s best interest.9Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 5/208 – Judicial Approval of Underage Marriages Anyone under 16 cannot marry in Illinois.
Waiting Period and How Long the License Lasts
Illinois has a one-day waiting period after the license is issued. Pick it up Thursday, and the earliest your ceremony can happen is Friday.10LaSalle County, IL. Marriage License Information A court can waive that period in extraordinary circumstances, but it requires filing a request with a judge and is not routine.
Once issued, the license is valid for 60 days. If those 60 days pass without a ceremony, it expires and you’ll pay the full fee again to apply anew. The ceremony must happen within Illinois, in the county that issued the license.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Illinois recognizes a wide range of officiants: any judge of a court of record, retired judges, judges of the Court of Claims, the mayor or president of any Illinois city, village, or incorporated town, the Cook County Clerk (only counties with two million or more residents qualify, which is Cook alone), and any person authorized under the practices of a religious denomination, Indian Nation, Tribe, or Native Group who is in good standing with that organization.11Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 5/209 – Solemnization and Registration
The statute also says that if “no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage,” both parties can complete and submit the marriage certificate themselves, which effectively allows self-solemnization.11Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 5/209 – Solemnization and Registration You can marry yourselves without hiring anyone.
After the Wedding
Whoever officiates must complete the marriage certificate portion of the license and return it to the issuing clerk within 10 days. For self-solemnized marriages, both spouses share that duty.11Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 5/209 – Solemnization and Registration Until the clerk receives the completed certificate, the marriage isn’t recorded and you can’t order certified copies. A polite check-in with your officiant a day or two after the wedding is worth the small awkwardness.