To fill out a marriage license in Illinois, both applicants go together to the county clerk’s office in the county where the ceremony will take place, present valid identification, and complete the application in person before signing it in front of the clerk.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5/203 – License, To Marry You cannot send one person on behalf of the couple, and you cannot apply in a county other than the one hosting the wedding.
Confirm You’re Eligible Before You Go
Both applicants must be at least 18 to marry without anyone else’s approval. A 16- or 17-year-old can marry if both parents or a legal guardian appear at the clerk’s office in person and give sworn consent. When one parent genuinely cannot be located, the other can sign an affidavit explaining the situation, and that counts as both parents’ consent. A judge can grant approval when parental consent isn’t possible.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5/203 – License, To Marry
Neither applicant can already be married to someone else. Any prior marriage must be legally ended by divorce, annulment, or the former spouse’s death before a new license can be issued; bigamy is a Class 4 felony in Illinois. Marriages between close relatives are prohibited, with a narrow exception allowing first cousins to marry if both are 50 or older.
What to Bring to the Clerk’s Office
Pack these items before you leave the house:
- Photo identification for each applicant. Most county clerks accept a valid U.S. driver’s license, state ID, or U.S. passport. If those aren’t available, two alternative forms such as a certified birth certificate may be accepted.
- Social Security numbers for both applicants (the application requires them).
- If either of you was previously married and that marriage ended recently, a certified copy of the divorce decree or the former spouse’s death certificate.
- Payment for the license fee. Cook County charges $60, while smaller counties like LaSalle charge $35. Accepted payment methods differ by office, so confirm whether yours takes cards, cash, or checks.2Cook County, IL. Marriage Licenses
County practices vary on what IDs and backup documents they’ll accept, so a quick call to the specific clerk’s office ahead of time can save you a return trip.
If You’re Not a U.S. Citizen
Illinois has no citizenship or immigration-status requirement for marriage. Non-U.S. citizens can use a valid foreign passport as identification in many counties.3Kane County Clerk’s Office. Acceptable Forms of Identification Each county clerk sets its own accepted-ID list, so check with the office you plan to visit.4Illinois Legal Aid Online. Getting Married in the US if I Am an Undocumented Immigrant
What the Application Asks For
The form is prescribed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and asks for the same categories of information from each applicant:5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5/202 – Marriage License and Marriage Certificate
- Full legal name, sex, occupation, address, Social Security number, and date and place of birth.
- Names and addresses of each applicant’s parents or guardian.
- If either applicant was previously married: the former spouse’s name, and the date, place, and method the marriage ended (divorce, annulment, or death).
- Whether the two applicants are related to each other, and if so, how.
Have the details ready before you sit down with the form. Addresses, exact dates, and your parents’ full names are easy to fumble from memory, and the sworn application is not the place to guess.
Signing and Submitting at the Counter
Forms are available at the clerk’s office, and some counties let you start the application online. Either way, both applicants must appear together in person to sign and have the license issued. If you filled out a preliminary form online, you’ll review and finalize it at the counter.
Read every entry before you sign. Misspelled names or wrong dates of birth create real headaches later when you need certified copies of the marriage certificate for name changes, benefits, or other legal purposes. If something is wrong on the screen or the printout, fix it before the clerk issues the license, not after.
The One-Day Wait and the 60-Day Window
The license does not take effect until the day after it’s issued. You cannot pick it up and hold the ceremony on the same day. If there’s an urgent reason to skip the wait, a circuit court judge in the county issuing the license can grant a waiver on a joint application by both parties.
Once effective, the license is valid for 60 days, and the ceremony must take place within that window and in the county that issued it. If 60 days pass without a ceremony, the license expires and you’ll need to start over and pay again.
Returning the Completed License
Filling out the license is a two-part job. You complete the applicant information at the clerk’s office; the officiant completes the marriage certificate portion after the ceremony and returns it to the issuing county clerk’s office within 10 days. If the ceremony is performed without a single officiant acting alone, as happens in some religious traditions where the couple marry each other, both spouses are responsible for completing and submitting the form.6Justia Law. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5 Part II – Marriage
That return filing is what puts your marriage on the official record. A ceremony performed without a valid license isn’t legally recognized in Illinois, and a completed license that never makes it back to the clerk leaves you without the record you’ll need later. Confirm with your officiant that they’ve submitted it, and follow up with the clerk’s office if you don’t see confirmation within a couple of weeks.