To get married in Florida, both people go together to any county Clerk of the Circuit Court, show government-issued photo ID, pay $86 (or $61 if you have completed a state-approved premarital course), wait three days if you are a Florida resident who skipped the course, and then hold a ceremony with an authorized officiant within 60 days. The officiant signs the license and returns it to the issuing clerk within 10 days, and at that point the marriage is on the public record.
The rest of this guide walks through each step, plus the traps that catch couples off guard.
Who Can Legally Marry in Florida
Both people must be at least 18. A 17-year-old can apply only with written consent from a parent or legal guardian, and the older person cannot be more than two years older. No one under 17 can be issued a marriage license under any circumstances.
You do not have to live in Florida. Destination-wedding couples and out-of-state visitors follow the same process as residents, and non-residents get one meaningful benefit: no three-day waiting period.
Each applicant needs a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID. U.S. citizens must provide a Social Security number. Non-citizens can provide either a Social Security number or an alien registration number, and the clerk can still issue a license if a non-citizen cannot supply either.
If either person was married before, you will need the exact date the prior marriage ended and whether it ended by divorce, death, or annulment. Have that information on hand before you walk in.
Two things Florida does not do: it does not recognize common law marriages formed after January 1, 1968, and it does not allow self-uniting or self-solemnizing ceremonies. Living together for years or exchanging private vows does not create a legal marriage here. You need a license and an authorized officiant.
Applying at the Clerk’s Office
The application goes through any county Clerk of the Circuit Court in Florida. You do not have to apply in the county where the ceremony will happen, and the license is valid statewide. Both people must appear together, either in person or, in some counties, by video conference.
Several counties now let couples start online. Hillsborough County, for instance, lets applicants fill out the form online, schedule a Zoom appointment with a clerk to verify IDs and sign electronically, and download the license without ever visiting the office. Not every county offers this, so check with the specific clerk’s office in advance. If one applicant is under 18, you have to apply in person regardless of the county.
The application asks for each person’s full legal name, date of birth, birthplace, Social Security or alien registration number, and details of any prior marriages. Get every field right. The record becomes a permanent government document tied to future tax filings, insurance, and identification.
Cost and the Premarital Course Discount
The standard marriage license fee is $86 statewide. Couples where both people are Florida residents can drop that to $61 by completing a state-approved premarital preparation course before applying.
The course must be at least four hours long and be offered by a provider registered with the local clerk’s office. Topics can include conflict management, communication skills, financial responsibilities, and parenting. You can take it together or separately, and you have to bring the certificate of completion to the clerk at the time of application to get the discount.
The course does more than save $25. For Florida residents, it also eliminates the three-day waiting period, so the license is usable the same day it is issued. If your timeline is tight, that alone can make it worth the four hours.
The Waiting Period and How Long the License Lasts
Florida residents who skip the premarital course face a three-day delay before the license becomes effective. The clerk issues it the day you apply, but the effective date is pushed back three days and printed on the license in bold. A ceremony held before that date is not legally valid.
Three groups bypass the delay:
- Non-residents can use the license immediately after issuance.
- Florida residents who completed the premarital course get an immediate effective date.
- Couples asserting hardship can ask the clerk for an exception, and a county court judge can waive the delay for Florida residents who show good cause.
Once issued, the license is valid for 60 days. If the ceremony does not happen inside that window, the license expires and you have to apply again and pay another fee. Count backward from your wedding date so you do not apply too early.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Florida law authorizes four categories of officiants:
- Any ordained minister, elder, or clergy member of any religious denomination.
- Active or retired judges at any level.
- Clerks of the circuit court, who can perform the ceremony as well as issue the license.
- Any notary public commissioned in Florida.
The officiant is responsible for confirming that the license is current and within its effective dates before proceeding.
Witnesses are not required. About half of U.S. states require them; Florida does not. A ceremony with just the two of you and the officiant is legally sufficient if that is what you want.
Filing the License After the Ceremony
After the vows, the officiant signs the license to certify that the ceremony took place, then has 10 days to return the completed, signed license to the clerk’s office that issued it. Filing is what puts the marriage on the public record. Until the license is filed, the state has no official record that you are married.
Make sure your officiant understands this responsibility. Late or missed filings create real problems later when you need to prove the marriage for insurance, tax, or legal purposes. If you hired someone you do not know well, follow up within a week to confirm the license was submitted.
Ordering Certified Copies
Once the license is recorded, you can order certified copies of your marriage certificate from the clerk’s office where the license was filed. You will need certified copies for name changes, updating financial accounts, insurance enrollment, and tax filings. Certified copies are also available from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, where the first copy costs $5 (including the search fee) and additional copies are $4 each.
After the Wedding: Name Changes and Taxes
If either spouse is changing a last name, start with the Social Security Administration using Form SS-5 and bring original or certified copies of the marriage certificate along with photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship. Photocopies are not accepted. Getting SSA updated first matters because the IRS matches the name on your tax return against SSA records, and a mismatch can delay a refund.
Passport updates use Form DS-5504 if the passport was issued and the name changed within the past year, or Form DS-82 to renew if more time has passed. For the IRS, the SSA update flows through automatically; file Form 8822 only if you also moved.
On taxes: if you are married on December 31, the IRS treats you as married for the entire year. Most couples file jointly, which for tax year 2026 gives a standard deduction of $32,200 versus $16,100 for a single filer, and wider brackets at most income levels. Dual-earner couples with very high combined incomes should compare joint versus separate filing before choosing, since the top 37% bracket can capture more income on a joint return than two single returns would.