You can get married the same day in Missouri because the state has no waiting period on marriage licenses. Walk into any county Recorder of Deeds office with your partner, apply together, pay the fee, and the license is issued at the counter. If you already have an officiant and two witnesses ready, you can hold the ceremony that same afternoon.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period
A quick boundary before the steps: both applicants must be at least 18, and Missouri does not recognize common-law marriage or self-solemnization, so a licensed ceremony with an authorized officiant is the only route.2Recorders’ Association of Missouri. MO Marriage Age1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period
What to Bring to the Recorder’s Office
Each of you needs proof of age: a certified birth certificate, passport, or other government-issued photo ID.3Recorders’ Association of Missouri. Marriage Requirements You’ll also put your Social Security number on the application. If you don’t have one, you sign a statement to that effect.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period
If either of you was previously married, you’ll be asked for the date that marriage ended. Bring the divorce decree or annulment paperwork so you can give an exact date at the counter. False information on the application can invalidate the license and carries perjury exposure, so check the dates before you go.
Missouri does not require blood tests or any medical exam.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period
Applying for the License
Both applicants must appear together at any Recorder of Deeds office in the state. You don’t have to apply in the county where the ceremony will happen, and a Missouri license is valid for a ceremony held anywhere in Missouri. It will not be valid for a ceremony held out of state.
Fees run roughly $50 to $60 depending on the county. Henry County charges $55 in cash only. The City of St. Louis charges $60 and accepts Visa, MasterCard, or cash, sometimes with a small card surcharge. Cash avoids surprises. Once the clerk verifies your paperwork, the license is issued on the spot.
Missouri also allows online applications with two-step identity verification, but at least one applicant must be a resident of the county receiving the online application, and not every county offers the option.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period For a same-day wedding, applying in person is the reliable path.
Line Up an Officiant Before You Go
This is the piece that most often derails a same-day plan. Missouri limits who can solemnize a marriage to active or retired clergy in good standing with a church or synagogue in the state, any judge (including municipal judges, who may not accept payment for the service), or a religious organization following its own customs when at least one party is a member.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.100 – Marriages Solemnized by Whom
Officiants don’t have to register with any government office in advance. Ministers ordained online through groups like the Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries have been used for Missouri ceremonies, though the statute’s language refers to clergy “in good standing” with a church or synagogue. Wedding chapels in larger cities often accommodate walk-ins or same-day bookings, and it’s common to ask the Recorder of Deeds staff for local referrals. Missouri does not allow you to marry yourselves, so an authorized officiant has to be arranged before you pick up the license.
The Ceremony
Two witnesses must be present and sign the license after vows are exchanged.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 193.185 – Marriage Report – Certification Easy to forget when there are no guests. If you’re short on witnesses, courthouse employees or chapel staff will often step in. The ceremony can be held anywhere in Missouri.
The license is valid for 30 days from issuance. If the ceremony doesn’t happen within that window, the license expires and you’ll pay again to reapply.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.040 – Marriage License Required, Waiting Period
After the Ceremony
The officiant signs the license, both witnesses sign it, and the officiant returns the completed license to the Recorder of Deeds that issued it within 15 days.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 193.185 – Marriage Report – Certification Missing that deadline is a misdemeanor for the officiant.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 451.130 – Penalty for Failure to Issue, Record or Return License If you hired someone through a chapel or online contact, a follow-up call to confirm the filing is worth making.
Once the license is recorded, you can order certified copies of your marriage certificate from the same Recorder of Deeds office that issued the license. That’s the office holding the original record, and it’s the copy most agencies want for name changes on a driver’s license, Social Security card, or bank accounts. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in Jefferson City issues a separate document called a Certified Statement Relating to Marriage for marriages recorded after July 1, 1948, but that statement is not a copy of the original certificate.7Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Order a Copy of a Vital Record