How to Fill Out and Submit a Mississippi Marriage License Application

To apply for a Mississippi marriage license, both partners go together to any Circuit Court Clerk’s office in the state, present valid photo ID, complete and sign a sworn application in front of the clerk, and pay a cash fee of about $37 to $38. The clerk issues the license the same day. Mississippi has no waiting period before the ceremony, no residency requirement, and no expiration date on the license itself.

Who Can Apply

The minimum marriage age under current Mississippi law is seventeen for males and fifteen for females, and anyone under twenty-one needs parental or guardian consent.¹ If a parent or guardian cannot appear at the clerk’s office in person, some counties provide a consent form that can be signed before a notary and submitted with the application. A judge may waive the minimum ages in unusual circumstances, but only after reviewing evidence that the marriage is appropriate and that the parents consent.

The state prohibits marriages between close relatives. Siblings, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, aunts or uncles and nieces or nephews, and first cousins by blood all fall within the ban, and any marriage that violates these kinship rules is void from the start.²

There is no residency requirement. Out-of-state couples can walk into any Mississippi county clerk’s office and apply on the same terms as residents.³ Mississippi also does not recognize common-law marriage, so cohabitation alone creates no legal marriage. A license and ceremony are the only path.

What to Bring

Both applicants need a valid government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license or passport is the usual choice, though counties also accept military IDs, birth certificates, and other official documents that prove age and identity.⁴ Bring originals, not photocopies.

If either person was divorced within the past six months, bring a copy of the final divorce decree. Counties enforce this consistently, and arriving without it means leaving without a license.⁴ If the prior marriage ended through a spouse’s death, bring a death certificate or at least the date and location of death so the clerk can verify it.

Have this information ready when you sit down with the form:

Full legal names, ages, and current addresses of both applicants
Full names and addresses of both sets of parents, including each mother’s maiden name
Social Security numbers (the statute does not explicitly require them, but most county forms include a field)
Place of birth for each applicant
Date and location of any prior marriage’s termination by divorce or death

The application is sworn, so get every spelling and date right before you arrive. Corrections after the fact can delay the process or require a new application.

At the Clerk’s Office

Both applicants must appear together at the Circuit Court Clerk’s office. No proxy appearances, no video calls, no having one partner apply and the other sign later. The clerk needs to witness both signatures and verify both IDs at the same time.⁵ You can apply at any county’s clerk office in the state; you are not limited to the county where you live or plan to hold the ceremony.

The form itself is short. You fill in the biographical data above, swear to its accuracy, and sign. The clerk reviews it on the spot and, assuming no issues, hands you the license the same day. Most counties do not require an appointment, but showing up early means shorter lines.

Fees

Expect to pay $37 to $38 in cash. Most counties charge $37; Harrison County charges $38.⁴⁶ Many offices are cash-only with exact change required, so bring small bills. A handful of counties accept credit or debit cards, sometimes with a small convenience surcharge. Call ahead if you plan to pay by card.

No Waiting Period, No Expiration

Mississippi eliminated its three-day waiting period in 2012.⁷ You can hold the ceremony the same afternoon you pick up the license. Once issued, the license never expires, so a long engagement creates no paperwork problem.⁸

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

Mississippi’s list of authorized officiants is narrower than some states’. The couple must present the license to the officiant before the ceremony takes place.⁹ Authorized officiants are:

Ordained ministers in good standing with their church or religious society, anywhere in the state
Rabbis and other spiritual leaders authorized by their religious body to perform marriages, anywhere in the state
Judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit court, chancery court, or county court, anywhere in the state
Justice court judges and members of boards of supervisors, only within their own counties

Mayors cannot officiate. Marriages performed by mayors were grandfathered only if they occurred before March 14, 1994.⁹ Ministers from other states need not be Mississippi residents, but some county clerks ask to see ordination credentials, so your officiant should check with the clerk’s office in the county where the wedding will be held. Mississippi does not require witnesses; the couple and the officiant are enough.⁵

Returning the Signed License

The ceremony is not the last step. After the officiant signs the license, it has to go back to the Circuit Court Clerk’s office for recording, usually returned by the officiant or the couple. Lee County’s clerk sets a five-day deadline for this return after the ceremony.⁸ This is the step people miss most often. If the signed license never makes it back, the marriage may not appear in state records, which creates problems later when you need proof for a name change, insurance, or taxes.

Getting a Certified Copy Later

After recording, you can request a certified copy from the county clerk’s office where it was filed or from the Mississippi Vital Records office in Jackson. The state office charges $17 for the first certified copy and $6 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.¹⁰ Mail requests go to Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700, with a cashier’s check or money order (no personal checks or cash), a copy of your photo ID, and a self-addressed stamped legal-size envelope. Spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, grandchildren, and legal guardians of either party may request a certified copy with photo ID. If you need the record quickly, the county clerk’s office that recorded the license is often faster than the state office.

1
Justia. Mississippi Code 93-1-5 – Conditions Precedent to Issuance of License; Penalty for Noncompliance
2
Justia. Mississippi Code 93-1-1 – Certain Marriages Declared Incestuous and Void
3
Bolivar County Circuit Clerk. Marriage Licenses
4
Harrison County Mississippi. Harrison County Marriage License
5
Lafayette County Circuit Clerk. Facts About Obtaining a Marriage License in Lafayette County
6
Rankin County, Mississippi. Circuit Clerk – Section: Marriage License Information
7
Mississippi Legislature. SB2851 – Marriage License Requirements
8
Lee County Circuit Clerk. Marriage License
9
Justia. Mississippi Code 93-1-17 – By Whom Marriages May Be Solemnized
10
Mississippi State Department of Health. Marriage Record Application Instructions