How to Get a Marriage License in Minnesota: Cost, Validity, and Ceremony

To get a marriage license in Minnesota, both partners apply together at any county registrar’s office in the state, pay a $125 fee (or $50 if you complete premarital education), and receive a license the same day. There’s no residency requirement, no waiting period, and no blood test. The license is valid for six months and can be used anywhere within Minnesota’s borders.¹

Who Qualifies

Both parties must be at least 18. Minnesota no longer allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental or judicial consent; the current rule is a flat age of majority for anyone who is otherwise legally competent.²

Neither party can be currently married to someone else. If a prior marriage ended by divorce, annulment, or death, you’ll provide the details on the application. Minnesota also prohibits marriage between close relatives: parent and child, siblings (including half-blood and adoptive), aunt or uncle and niece or nephew, and first cousins. First-cousin marriages permitted by the established customs of aboriginal cultures are an exception.³

What to Bring

The application asks each party for full legal name, the name you’ll use after marriage, address, county and state of residence, date of birth and age, Social Security number (or a certification that you don’t have one), whether you’re related and how, and details of any previous marriage including how and when it ended. You’ll also give a mailing address for the certified copy of your marriage certificate.¹

Bring a current photo ID: driver’s license, state ID, or passport. The registrar places both applicants under oath, so what you put on the form carries legal weight.

One boundary to know before you file: if either party has a felony conviction under Minnesota, federal, or another state’s law, that person cannot use the marriage application to change their name. A separate court process under Minnesota Statutes 259.13 is required, and using an unauthorized new name after the wedding is a gross misdemeanor.¹

Where to Apply

You can apply at any local registrar’s office in Minnesota, regardless of which county you live in or where you plan to marry, so long as the ceremony itself happens in Minnesota.⁴ Most counties route the application through the county recorder or vital statistics office.

Both parties usually appear in person. Some counties let you start the application online to shorten the visit. If one party can’t be there, counties such as Hennepin accept a “party not appearing” form with a notarized signature and proof of age from the absent partner.⁵ Procedures vary, so call the office you plan to use.

How Much It Costs

The standard fee is $125. It drops to $50 if both parties complete at least 12 hours of premarital education before applying.¹ The education must include a premarital inventory and cover communication and conflict management. It has to be delivered by a licensed or ordained minister (or their designee), a person authorized to solemnize marriages under section 517.18, or a licensed marriage and family therapist.

To claim the discount, bring a statement from the educator on their letterhead, signed and dated, and either notarized or bearing a church seal. It must list both parties’ legal names exactly as they appear on the application. Fees are nonrefundable. Accepted payment methods vary by county, and some accept only cash.⁶

When It’s Valid

There is no waiting period. The license is effective the moment it’s issued, so you can hold the ceremony the same day. It stays valid for six months from the date of application; if you don’t marry in that window, you’ll need to reapply and pay again.¹

The license only works inside Minnesota. A destination wedding in another state or country requires a license from that jurisdiction.⁷

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

Minnesota recognizes several categories of officiants: judges and retired judges of a court of record; court administrators and retired court administrators (with chief judge approval); licensed or ordained ministers of any religious denomination; and any individual who registers as a civil marriage officiant with a local registrar in any Minnesota county. That last category is broad, so a friend or family member can perform the ceremony after registering.⁸

Religious organizations are never required to solemnize a marriage that conflicts with their beliefs, and clergy who decline face no penalty.⁹

After the Ceremony

During the ceremony, both parties must declare in front of the officiant and at least two witnesses that they take each other as spouses. Witnesses must be at least 16.¹⁰

The officiant then completes and signs the certificate. Both spouses sign their legal names after marriage, and the two witnesses print and sign their names. The officiant has five days to file the certificate with the local registrar in the county where the license was issued.¹⁰ Filing is the officiant’s job, not yours, but confirm it was done. A missed deadline can create problems when you later need to prove the marriage.

Once the certificate is recorded, you can order certified copies from the county recorder where the license was issued. Plan on needing several for name changes, insurance, and other updates. Copies typically run around $9 each, though the amount can vary slightly by county.

1
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.08 – Application for License
2
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.02 – Persons Capable of Contracting
3
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.03 – Prohibited Civil Marriages
4
Washington County, MN – Official Website. Marriage License
5
Hennepin County. Marriage License
6
Polk County, MN. Required Fees – Marriage License
7
Crow Wing County, MN. Marriage
8
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Domestic Relations 517.04
9
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.09 – Solemnization
10
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.10 – Certificate; Witnesses