You can get a Utah marriage license online for $50, with no trip to a clerk’s office, no residency or citizenship requirement, and no waiting period before the ceremony. Both applicants complete their portion of the application from any device, verify their identity by scanning a government ID and their face with a smartphone, and receive a digital license, often within minutes. One rule catches out-of-state couples: at least the officiant must be physically located in Utah when they pronounce you married, even if everyone else joins by video from anywhere in the world.
Who Can Apply
Both applicants must be at least 18 to marry without extra approvals. Utah imposes no residency requirement, no citizenship requirement, and no waiting period between issuance of the license and the ceremony. The Utah County Clerk’s office states that anyone from anywhere can apply.1Utah County Clerk. Marriage – Frequently Asked Questions
Some relationships make a marriage legally void in Utah. Marriages between ancestors and descendants, between siblings including half-siblings, between aunts or uncles and their nieces or nephews, and between first cousins are prohibited. First cousins have a narrow exception: both parties must be at least 65, or both must be at least 55 with a court finding that one is unable to reproduce.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-402 – Incestuous Marriages Void
If You’re 16 or 17
A minor aged 16 or 17 can marry only after clearing several hurdles. A parent or legal guardian must give signed consent in person to the county clerk. The minor and parent must also petition the juvenile court for written authorization, and the judge must find the marriage is voluntary and in the minor’s best interest. The court may not approve the marriage if the age gap between the parties exceeds four years. A mandatory 72-hour waiting period applies after the petition is filed, and the court will typically require premarital counseling and may impose conditions such as continued school attendance.3Utah State Judiciary. Marriage
What You Need Before You Start
Have this ready for both applicants before you log in:
- A government-issued photo ID for each applicant, such as a driver’s license or passport. The system uses your smartphone camera to scan the ID and your face for identity verification.
- A Social Security number for each applicant. The number is not printed on the license and is kept confidential in state records. If you have never been assigned one, the statute exempts you from providing it.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-303 – Application for Marriage License – Contents
- Biographical details for each applicant: full legal name (including any maiden or bachelor name), current address, date and place of birth, and both parents’ names and birthplaces.
A power of attorney cannot be used to apply on someone else’s behalf. Each applicant must complete their own portion of the application.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-303 – Application for Marriage License – Contents
How the Online Application Works
Each county clerk runs its own online portal. Utah County’s system is among the most widely used, and Salt Lake County, Washington County, and others offer similar platforms. The workflow is essentially the same everywhere.
One applicant starts by entering their information. The system generates a unique link that the second applicant uses to complete their portion from any device. Have a smartphone available to scan your ID and take a live photo for identity verification.5Utah County Clerk. Utah County Clerk – Marriage Both applicants sign digitally, and the whole process can be finished without paper or an in-person visit.1Utah County Clerk. Marriage – Frequently Asked Questions
Each applicant also submits an affidavit stating there is no lawful reason preventing the marriage. If one of the parties will not be physically present in Utah during the ceremony, both parties must file an additional affidavit consenting to the personal jurisdiction of Utah and the issuing county for any future divorce or annulment.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-303 – Application for Marriage License – Contents
The Fee
The license fee is $50, payable online by credit or debit card. It is non-refundable, even if you never use the license or it expires.6Washington County of Utah. Marriage Information Utah does not grant extensions on expired licenses. If your license expires, you reapply and pay again.
Couples who complete an approved premarital education or counseling course before applying qualify for a $20 discount on the license fee. The discount applies only when you use the online application system. If you were planning to take a course anyway, take it first.
How Fast You Get It and How Long It Lasts
There is no waiting period. You can hold your ceremony the same day the license is issued. Many counties deliver the digital license within minutes or hours of a completed application; Utah County’s system, for example, sends it electronically with nothing to wait for by mail.7Utah County Clerk. Utah County Marriage License
The license expires 32 days after the date it is issued. If the ceremony does not happen within that window, the license becomes invalid and you start over with a new application and a new fee.8Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-302 – Marriage Licenses – Use Within State – Expiration
The Ceremony
Utah law treats a marriage as solemnized when the couple holds a valid license, both parties willingly declare their intent to marry, an officiant pronounces them married, and at least two witnesses aged 18 or older observe the declarations and the pronouncement.8Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-302 – Marriage Licenses – Use Within State – Expiration Officiants authorized under Utah law include clergy 18 or older, judges, county clerks, mayors, legislators, and military chaplains, among others.9Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-305 – Who May Solemnize Marriages – Certificate
Remote Ceremonies by Video
The ceremony can take place over video conferencing, with the couple, witnesses, and officiant appearing on a live video feed. The couple and witnesses are not required to be in the same physical location.10Utah County Clerk. Marriage Ceremonies
One rule is non-negotiable. The officiant must be physically inside Utah during the ceremony. The officiant’s location is the host location that establishes jurisdiction for the license.1Utah County Clerk. Marriage – Frequently Asked Questions If the officiant is outside Utah when they pronounce you married, the ceremony may not be legally valid.
Before starting the ceremony, the officiant verifies the identity of both applicants and the age and identity of both witnesses over the live feed.10Utah County Clerk. Marriage Ceremonies If your license is a paper license from a county other than Utah County, the couple and witnesses must be physically present to sign in ink.
After the Ceremony
The officiant completes the license with the date and place of the ceremony, the names of the witnesses, and their own signature, and returns it to the issuing county clerk within 30 days. An officiant who fails to return the license is guilty of an infraction, and one who makes a false statement on the certificate faces perjury charges.9Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-305 – Who May Solemnize Marriages – Certificate
Once the clerk records the returned license, the marriage becomes a permanent legal record. If you want to confirm your officiant actually filed the paperwork, call the issuing county clerk’s office a few weeks after the ceremony. This is where things occasionally go wrong; a forgotten or delayed filing can leave you in legal limbo.
Certified Copies
For marriages recorded after 2010, request certified copies directly from the county clerk that issued the license. Many counties include one or two certified copies with the original license fee, and additional copies typically cost around $10 to $12 each.
Recognition Outside Utah
A marriage legally performed in Utah is generally recognized throughout the United States under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires each state to respect the legal acts of other states. Remote-ceremony marriages that comply with Utah law should be treated the same as any other Utah marriage by another state’s legal system.
International recognition is a different question. The Utah County Clerk’s office warns that a marriage solemnized through a remote-appearance ceremony “may be invalid in the country where the parties to the marriage reside,” and that acceptance by foreign governments or immigration officials is beyond the clerk’s control.1Utah County Clerk. Marriage – Frequently Asked Questions If you need your Utah marriage recognized in another country, talk to an immigration or family law attorney before relying on it, especially for visa or spousal-status purposes.
For countries in the Hague Convention, documents are authenticated with an apostille. In Utah, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor handles document authentication. Submit your original certified marriage certificate with a completed request form. The fee is $19 per document for regular processing (three to five business days), $53 for next-business-day service, and $93 for same-day service.11Utah Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Document Authentication (Apostille / Certificate) For countries outside the Hague Convention, the office issues a certification instead of an apostille.