How to Get a Marriage License in Genesee County?

A Genesee County marriage license costs $20, takes three days to issue after you apply, and stays valid for 30 days from the application date.¹ You apply at the County Clerk’s office in Flint with a photo ID, a birth certificate, and Social Security numbers for both applicants. Only one of you needs to appear to file the application, but both must be at least 18.

Who Can Apply

Both applicants must be 18 or older. Michigan does not permit anyone under 18 to marry, and any such marriage is void.²

Michigan law requires you to apply in the county where one of you lives.³ If either applicant is a Genesee County resident, this is the right office. If neither of you lives in Michigan, you can still apply here, but the ceremony must take place inside Genesee County. Michigan residents who apply in Genesee County can marry anywhere in the state.¹

What to Bring

Each applicant needs to provide three things:

A valid driver’s license or state-issued photo ID showing your current address. A passport works to prove identity and age but not residency. Photocopies are accepted.
A long-form birth certificate that lists both parents’ full names. Hospital-issued records do not qualify, and foreign birth certificates must be translated into English. Copies are fine.
Your Social Security number. You do not need to bring the physical card.

If you cannot produce your birth certificate, you must still supply your parents’ full names, your parents’ birthplaces, and your own place of birth, and that information has to match your birth record.¹ Social Security numbers are required by state statute as part of the application.⁴

What It Costs

The application fee is $20, paid when you file. If both applicants live outside Michigan, the total is $30.¹ The extra $10 is a state charge that applies whenever neither party is a Michigan resident.⁵ Card payments carry a service fee, and the cardholder must be present with ID.

How and Where to Apply

Only one applicant has to appear in person. The Clerk’s office is at 324 S. Saginaw Street in Flint, open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays.⁶ You can also apply by mail, but the office needs at least four business days after it receives your paperwork to process it.¹

The application is available on the Clerk’s website or at the counter. Use the exact names on your birth certificate and ID. Small mistakes can cause real problems later, especially for anyone changing a name after the wedding.

The Three-Day Wait

State law bars the Clerk from issuing your license until three days after you apply, counting the application day as day one.⁷ You cannot marry during that window. Once the wait is over, return to the office to pick up the license before the ceremony.

The county clerk can waive the waiting period for sufficient cause and release the license immediately, for an additional fee set by the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.⁷ Call the Clerk’s office to ask about the current waiver fee and what reasons qualify.

How Long the License Lasts

The ceremony must happen within 30 days of your application date, or the license expires.¹ The three-day wait cuts into that window, so your real ceremony period is closer to 27 days. If your wedding is more than a month out, wait to apply.

An expired license cannot be renewed. You would have to file a new application and pay again.

Who Can Officiate and Witness the Ceremony

Michigan authorizes several kinds of officiants: district, probate, and federal judges anywhere in the state; municipal judges within the city they serve; district court magistrates statewide; mayors within their county; county clerks within their county, or elsewhere with the local clerk’s written permission; ordained ministers, clergy, and religious practitioners recognized by their denomination; and out-of-state clergy who are authorized to perform marriages under their home state’s laws.⁸

Give the license to your officiant before the ceremony. Both of you must declare in front of the officiant and witnesses that you take each other as spouses.⁹ At least two witnesses, each at least 18 and separate from the officiant, must attend and sign the license. Genesee County asks that each applicant have their own witness.¹

Returning the Signed License

Your officiant must return the signed license to the Genesee County Clerk within 10 days of the ceremony.¹⁰ That filing is what puts your marriage on the public record. Until the license is filed, you may not be able to get a certified marriage certificate, which you will likely need for name changes, insurance, taxes, and other legal matters.

Check back with your officiant soon after the wedding to confirm the license was returned. If the Clerk’s office has no record after a few weeks, contact the officiant directly. Once the license is on file, you can request certified copies from the Genesee County Clerk’s Vital Records Division.

1
Genesee County Michigan. Apply for a Marriage License
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.51 – Marriage; Minimum Age
3
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.101 – Marriage License; County Clerk
4
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.102 – Blank Form for Marriage License and Certificate
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Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.103 – Marriage License
6
Genesee County Michigan. County Clerk and Register of Deeds
7
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.103a – Marriage License; Time of Delivery; Solemnization of Marriage Required
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.7 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Marriages
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Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.9 – Solemnization; Form; Witnesses
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Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 551.104 – Marriage License and Certificate; Delivery; Return