A Sedgwick County marriage license costs $85.50 and is applied for entirely online through the Kansas Judicial Branch portal — no trip to the courthouse required. The 18th Judicial District Court clerk reviews your application, waits out the statutory three-day period, and mails the license to you. Apply at least two weeks before your ceremony, since processing time runs longer than the three-day minimum.
How to Apply
Kansas handles marriage license applications through a statewide online portal, and Sedgwick County uses that same system. Both parties complete the application and pay the fee online. Your electronic signature carries the same legal weight as signing in front of the clerk. Once you submit, an alert goes to the Sedgwick County District Court clerk, who creates the license and mails it to you.
You will not visit the courthouse at any point. Cash and money orders are not accepted because there is no in-person transaction; you pay by credit or debit card, or by electronic check.
What You Need Before You Start
You do not upload identification or supporting documents. The application does ask for a fair amount of personal detail, though, so gather it before opening the form:
- Full legal name (first, middle, last) for both parties
- Date of birth and gender
- Place of birth: city, county, and state or country
- Social Security number; if you don’t have one, enter 999-99-9999
- Current address
- Parents’ names and birthplaces
- If either party was previously married: the date it ended and whether by divorce, annulment, or death
- Any new legal name either party wants to take
- Ethnicity, race, and education level
You’ll also need a working email address and an online payment method.
Who Can Apply
Anyone 18 or older can apply without additional consent. A 16- or 17-year-old needs the written consent of a parent or legal guardian; if both parents (and any legal guardian) consent, no judge has to sign off. When both parents are deceased and there is no legal guardian, a district court judge can authorize the marriage after looking into the circumstances. A 15-year-old may marry only if a judge finds the marriage to be in the minor’s best interest.
Kansas does not require a blood test or medical exam.
Fees
The license itself is $85.50. On top of that you pay a small online processing charge: $2.14 for a credit or debit card, or $1.25 for an electronic check.
The Three-Day Wait and How Early to Apply
Kansas law bars the clerk from issuing the license until the third calendar day after you file. That count includes weekends, holidays, and days the clerk’s office is closed. A district court judge can waive the waiting period if you can show an emergency or extraordinary circumstances.
Three days is only the statutory floor. The clerk still needs time to review your application, create the license, and put it in the mail. The Kansas Judicial Branch recommends applying at least two weeks before your wedding date.
How Long the License Is Good For
Your license stays valid for six months from issuance. If you don’t hold the ceremony within that window, it expires and you’ll have to reapply and pay again. The license authorizes you to marry anywhere in Kansas, not just within Sedgwick County.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Kansas recognizes several categories of officiant, and you need at least two adult witnesses in addition to whoever officiates:
- Ordained clergy or religious authorities of any denomination
- Judges or justices of a court of record, including retired judges
- Municipal judges of any Kansas city
- Licensed clergy appointed by a bishop or denominational body to serve a specific church
Kansas also allows a couple to marry without an officiant. If either party belongs to a religious society, denomination, or sect whose customs permit it, the two of you can exchange mutual declarations taking each other as spouses. Two adult witnesses still need to be present.
What Happens After the Ceremony
Your officiant has to endorse the license with a certificate of marriage, give you the duplicate copy, and return the original to the Sedgwick County District Court clerk within 10 days. That return filing is what creates the official record. If your officiant misses the deadline, follow up; an unrecorded license can cause problems later when you need to prove you are married.
Ordering Certified Copies
Once the marriage is recorded, you can order certified copies of the marriage certificate from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Office of Vital Statistics. Each certified copy costs $20, which covers a five-year search of state records. If KDHE can’t locate the record, the fee is not refunded; you’ll receive a letter describing the search. You can order by mail, in person at the KDHE office in Topeka, online, by phone, or through a mobile app. Online, phone, and mobile orders add a processing or expedited fee of $5 to $15 depending on the method.
Order at least two or three certified copies at the outset. You’ll want them for Social Security, a passport update, a driver’s license change, insurance, and possibly bank or financial accounts. These agencies almost always require an original certified copy rather than a photocopy.
If You’re Changing Your Name
If either spouse chose a new legal name on the application, that change takes effect the moment the officiant endorses the license with the certificate of marriage. You still need to update your name across other records. Start with the Social Security Administration by requesting a replacement card; your Social Security number does not change, only the name attached to it. New cards typically arrive within 5 to 10 business days, and once the SSA processes the change, the IRS is notified automatically. Update your driver’s license, passport, and financial accounts after Social Security. If you have travel booked under your former name, hold off on the passport update until you return, so the name on your ID matches your ticket.