How to Get a Marriage License in Portland, Oregon

To get a marriage license in Portland, Oregon, both partners complete an online application through Multnomah County, then appear together in person at the County Clerk’s office with government-issued photo ID to sign and pick up the license. The fee is $60. Oregon law imposes a three-day waiting period before the license takes effect, and once effective the license is valid for 60 days for a ceremony held anywhere in the state. There is no residency requirement.

Who Can Marry in Oregon

Both partners must be at least 18 years old. As of January 1, 2026, Oregon eliminated the parental-consent exception that previously allowed 17-year-olds to marry, so the minimum age is now a firm 18.¹

A marriage is void if either person is already married to someone else, or if the couple is related as first cousins or closer by blood or adoption. The one narrow exception: first cousins related only through adoption, not by blood, are not prohibited from marrying.²

Oregon does not recognize common-law marriage. Living together in Oregon, for any length of time, does not create a legal marriage. You have to go through the license process.

What to Bring to the Application

Each partner needs a valid government-issued photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport. The name on your ID should match what you enter on the application.³

The application also asks for the full legal names of both partners’ parents, including their birth names, with first, middle, and last name for each.³ Track that information down before you start filling out forms, especially any parental birth names that differ from current names.

If either partner is not a U.S. citizen or doesn’t have a Social Security number, call the Multnomah County Clerk’s office before applying. Alternative documentation or an affidavit may be required.

How to Apply and Pick Up the License

Start with the online marriage application at multcomarriage.org.⁴ Fill it out carefully. Errors in names or dates create problems for your marriage record and for any name change you do later.

After submitting online, both partners appear in person at the Multnomah County Clerk’s office to sign and pick up the license. No appointment is needed. Licenses are issued the same day, as long as both parties are in the office by 4:00 p.m. with a completed application.⁴ If one partner truly cannot appear, call the clerk’s office to ask about accommodations; the default is that you come in together.

The fee is $60 and it’s nonrefundable. Payment options include cash, credit or debit card, cashier’s check, and money order. Card payments carry a small processing fee on top of the $60.⁴ A portion of every marriage license fee in Oregon goes to the state’s Domestic Violence Fund.²

The Three-Day Wait and 60-Day Window

Your license becomes effective three days after you and your partner sign the application. The clerk prints the effective date on the license itself.⁵ A ceremony held before that date is not legally valid.

If you need to marry sooner, Multnomah County will waive the waiting period for an extra $5, bringing the total to $65. Waiver request forms are available at the clerk’s office when you pick up your license.⁴

Once effective, the license is valid for 60 days. If you don’t hold your ceremony inside that window, the license expires and you start over with a new application and another $60.⁵ The license is good anywhere in Oregon, not only in Multnomah County.

Who Can Officiate and Witness

Oregon authorizes the following to solemnize a marriage:²

Judges and justices of the peace. Multnomah County Circuit Court offers courthouse weddings by appointment for $117.⁶
County clerks.
Clergy authorized by their religious congregation or organization to perform marriages.
Religious congregations or organizations solemnizing according to their established practices.
Secular organizations that fill a role in members’ lives parallel to a church, and their authorized celebrants.

Oregon does not require officiants to register with the state or with a county clerk. Authority comes from the officiant’s role within a qualifying organization or judicial office. If you want a friend to officiate, they need to be ordained or authorized through a recognized religious or secular organization.

Every ceremony must also have at least two adult witnesses (18 or older) present who are not the couple.²

After the Ceremony

The officiant is responsible for completing the marriage paperwork and returning it to the county clerk who issued the license, within five days of the ceremony.⁷ That step is what puts your marriage into the permanent public record. If it doesn’t happen, you may have no official record of your marriage despite a valid ceremony, so follow up with your officiant to confirm the paperwork was mailed.

After the license is filed, you can order certified copies of your marriage certificate. Through the Oregon Center for Health Statistics, a copy costs $25 by mail, $28 in person, and between $47.50 and $49.20 through VitalChek online or by phone because of vendor and expediting fees.⁸ Order two or three certified copies at the start. Most agencies handling a name change or benefits update want their own original.

1
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 106.010 – Marriage as Civil Contract; Age of Parties
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 106 – Marriage; Domestic Partnership
3
Multnomah County. Marriage Licenses
4
Multnomah County, OR. Online Marriage Application
5
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 106.077 – Issuance of Marriage License; Waiting Period; Exception
6
Multnomah County Circuit Court. Judicial Availability for Weddings
7
Oregon Health Authority. Instructions for Officiants for Completing and Filing the Application, License, and Record of Marriage
8
Oregon Health Authority. Order a Marriage Certificate