How to Be Ordained in Virginia to Officiate Weddings

To get ordained in Virginia to officiate weddings, you first become an ordained minister through a religious organization — Virginia itself doesn’t ordain anyone — and then petition a Virginia circuit court under Code § 20-23 for an order authorizing you to solemnize marriages statewide. The court order, not the ordination alone, is what makes your ceremonies legally valid in the Commonwealth. If you aren’t ordained and just want to officiate one wedding for a friend or family member, there’s a separate path under § 20-25.

What the Court Needs From You

The statute gives you two ways to qualify: proof of ordination plus evidence that you’re in regular communion with your religious organization, or proof that you hold a local minister’s license and serve as a regularly appointed pastor.¹

In practice, circuit court clerks expect four things:

A completed petition or affidavit, typed or clearly printed. Most courts use their own form. Your signature usually needs to be notarized.
A copy of your ordination certificate. If your religious organization doesn’t issue one, or your denomination doesn’t require ordination, some courts accept a notarized letter of explanation from the organization.
A letter of good standing from an official of your religious organization, printed on official stationery. It should confirm your exact title, your standing within the organization, and that you are eligible to perform marriages.²
A valid government-issued photo ID, such as a Virginia driver’s license.

Your full legal name, address, and the name of your religious body go on the petition. Make sure everything matches across documents. Clerks return incomplete or illegible petitions, and that just adds weeks.

The Online Ordination Problem

This is where most applications fall apart. Virginia’s statute requires proof that you’re “in regular communion” with a religious society, and many circuit courts read that to exclude ministers ordained solely through websites like the Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries. Fairfax County Circuit Court, for example, explicitly states it does not recognize online ordinations, citing the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision in Cramer v. Commonwealth.³

Not every circuit takes the same position. Some have approved online ordinations when the applicant can show genuine, ongoing involvement with the ordaining organization. But counting on it is a gamble. If you were ordained online, call the specific circuit court clerk’s office where you plan to file before you make any commitments to a couple. If that court won’t accept your credentials, the civil celebrant route under § 20-25 is usually the better plan.

Filing, Fees, and Timing

You can file with the circuit court clerk in any county or city in Virginia. The clerk, a judge, or the court itself can issue the order, and once issued it authorizes you to perform marriages anywhere in the Commonwealth.¹

Filing fees vary by court. Some charge around $27, others $56 or more.²⁴ Most courts accept cash, check, money order, or credit card, though credit cards often carry a convenience fee of around 4%. Call ahead to confirm the amount and accepted payment methods.

Processing typically runs two to four weeks. The clerk will contact you when the order is ready. You’ll receive a certified copy of the signed court order, which is your proof of authority. Keep it safe. You may need to show it when returning completed marriage certificates.

If You’re Not Ordained: The § 20-25 Route

If you want a friend or family member to officiate and they aren’t an ordained minister, Virginia Code § 20-25 lets a circuit court judge authorize any person who lives in that judicial circuit to perform marriages.⁵

A few differences from the minister process matter:

Residency. The person must live in the circuit where the authorizing judge sits. A minister under § 20-23 can file anywhere in Virginia; a civil celebrant has to petition in their home circuit.
Bond. The authorized person must post a $500 bond before performing the ceremony. The court decides whether surety is required, and can waive the bond entirely if the person qualifies for in forma pauperis status.
No oath. The person doesn’t take an oath and isn’t considered a state officer.
Revocable. The court can rescind the authorization at any time.⁵

Because this authorization requires a judge’s order rather than just a clerk’s, allow extra time. Start well before the wedding date.

Out-of-State Ministers

Virginia does not automatically recognize ordination or marriage-officiating authority granted by another state. Every minister must produce proof before a Virginia circuit court, regardless of where they were ordained or where they live.¹ If you’re coming in from out of state, you go through the same § 20-23 petition as a Virginia resident. Some courts may want original or notarized documents, and some may handle parts of the process by mail. Requirements differ, so contact the specific circuit court as early as possible.

After You’re Authorized

Getting the court order is step one. The wedding itself has its own requirements.

The couple must obtain a marriage license from any Virginia circuit court clerk’s office before the ceremony. There’s no residency requirement and no waiting period. The license fee is $30, and the license is valid for 60 calendar days.⁶ If it expires without a ceremony, the couple needs a new one.

At the ceremony, you and both parties must be physically present. Each party expresses consent to marry, and you pronounce them married. Virginia doesn’t require witnesses, which surprises people. The clerk provides two copies of the marriage certificate along with the license, and you fill in the date, location, and your own information.

After the ceremony, you must return the completed marriage certificate to the issuing clerk’s office. Failing to properly certify and return the record carries a $25 penalty.⁷ Don’t treat it as optional. The marriage isn’t properly recorded until you file, and the couple will need that record for name changes, insurance, and taxes.

Doing It Without Authorization

Performing a marriage ceremony in Virginia without proper authorization is a criminal offense. Anyone who knowingly officiates without legal authority, or performs a ceremony when the couple doesn’t have a valid license, faces up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $500.⁸ This is the reason to get the court order in hand before the wedding, not after. Telling a couple after the fact that their ceremony didn’t count is a conversation you don’t want to have.

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 20-23 – Order Authorizing Ministers to Perform Ceremony
2
Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court. Requirements and Authorization Process for Virginia Clergy to Perform Wedding Ceremonies
3
Fairfax County Circuit Court. Religious Celebrant Authorization Information
4
Fluvanna County Virginia. Authorization to Perform – Minister
5
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 20-25 – Persons Other Than Ministers Who May Perform Rites
6
Fairfax County Circuit Court. Marriage License Information
7
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 20-24 – Penalty for Failure to Certify Record of Marriage
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 20-28 – Penalty for Celebrating Marriage Without License