How to Get Ordained in West Virginia to Officiate

To get ordained in West Virginia and officiate a wedding, you complete two steps: obtain ordination credentials from a religious organization, then apply to the West Virginia Secretary of State to be placed on the statewide registry of persons authorized to perform marriages. The application uses Form M-1, costs $25, and requires proof of age, proof of ordination, and proof you are in regular communion with the organization that ordained you.¹ Once you’re on the registry, you can perform weddings anywhere in the state.

West Virginia’s statute defines “religious representative” broadly. It names ministers, priests, and rabbis, and it also covers leaders and representatives of any “generally recognized spiritual assembly, church or religious organization” that doesn’t use those specific titles.² That inclusive language is what leaves room for ordinations from nondenominational and online ministries, provided you can produce the documentation the registration step demands.

Step One: Get Ordained

Before the state will register you, you need ordination from a religious organization. Several well-known bodies ordain online at no cost, including the Universal Life Church and American Marriage Ministries. The application is short: name, confirmation that you’re at least 18, and agreement to the organization’s basic principles. Credentials typically arrive within minutes to a few days.

Pay attention to what documents the organization will provide, not just the certificate itself. For the state application you’ll need one of two things: an official ordination paper showing you are an ordained minister authorized to perform marriages, or a letter signed by at least two members of the organization confirming that you minister to the group and are in regular communion with it. A bare ordination certificate that doesn’t clearly state you can perform marriages may not be enough. Order every supporting document your ministry offers, including a letter of good standing and a credential letter that explicitly addresses marriage authority.

Step Two: Register With the Secretary of State

This is the step most first-time officiants don’t know about, and skipping it is the most common mistake. West Virginia doesn’t handle officiant registration at the county level. Since 2001, the Secretary of State has maintained a central statewide registry of everyone authorized to celebrate marriages, and you must be on that registry to officiate.¹

Complete Form M-1, the Application to Be Placed on the Statewide Registry of Persons Authorized to Perform Marriages in West Virginia, and submit it with:

Proof of age showing you are at least 18: a birth certificate, driver’s license, military ID, or passport.
Proof of ordination: an official ordination paper from your church, synagogue, spiritual assembly, or religious organization showing you are authorized to perform marriages, or a letter signed by at least two members of the group confirming your status.
Proof that you are in regular communion with the organization that ordained you.
A $25 filing fee, payable to the Secretary of State.

Once your application is approved, your name goes on the registry and is transmitted to every county clerk in the state.¹ You can verify your listing through the Secretary of State’s online licensing search, which includes a searchable minister database.³ Give the application plenty of lead time before the wedding date.

Do Online Ordinations Qualify?

The statute doesn’t address online ordinations by name and doesn’t prohibit them. What matters is whether your documentation satisfies the three registration requirements: ordination by a religious organization, authority to perform marriages, and regular communion with that organization. Ministers from the Universal Life Church and American Marriage Ministries have registered successfully in West Virginia. The risk isn’t the law itself; it’s whether your paperwork clears the Secretary of State’s review. If you’re ordaining through a less well-known organization, contact the Secretary of State’s licensing division before submitting your application to confirm your documents will be accepted.

Out-of-State Officiants

You don’t have to live in West Virginia to register. The statute places no residency restriction on religious representatives, and the licensing search database includes an “Out Of State” county option, confirming that non-residents can register.³ You meet the age, ordination, and communion requirements, pay the $25 fee, and go through the same process as anyone else.¹

At the Ceremony and Afterward

West Virginia doesn’t dictate what you say. There are no required vows, no mandatory readings, no script. Witnesses aren’t required either. The statutory form of the marriage license has no designated slots for witness signatures, and no provision in the marriage code requires witnesses to be present.⁴ Couples can include them for personal or religious reasons; nothing stops that.

What the law does require is the license and the paperwork.

Confirm the License Before You Start

A ceremony performed without a valid marriage license is void, and the couple does not become legally married.⁵ The couple gets the license from a county clerk, not from you, but confirm they have it in hand before the ceremony begins. The license also expires 60 days after issuance. If a wedding keeps getting postponed, remind the couple that a stale license becomes void and they’ll need a new one.⁶

Endorse the License

After the ceremony, you keep the license and place an endorsement on it recording that the marriage took place, along with the time and place.⁶ This becomes the couple’s legal proof of marriage, so fill it in carefully.

Return the License on Time

Send the original license back to the county clerk who issued it before the sixth day of the month after the month in which the ceremony took place.⁶ A March 15 wedding gives you until May 5; so does a March 30 wedding. Don’t stretch the deadline. The couple can’t get certified copies of their marriage certificate until the clerk processes the returned license, and they often need those copies quickly for name changes, insurance, or other legal purposes.

Keeping Your Registration Active

Your registration doesn’t expire on a set schedule, but it can be deactivated. If you ask to be marked inactive, or if your ordaining organization notifies the Secretary of State that your authority has been revoked, your listing changes. When a revocation notice comes in, the Secretary of State sends a letter to your last known address, and you have 30 days to provide proof of good standing before being marked inactive.¹ Reactivation costs another $25.

If you officiate only occasionally, keep your contact information current with both the Secretary of State and your ordaining organization. A mailed notice you never receive can quietly cost you your active status.

1
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 48-2-402 – Qualifications of Religious Representative for Celebrating Marriages; Registry of Persons Authorized to Perform Marriage Ceremonies; Special Revenue
2
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 48-2-401 – Persons Authorized to Perform Marriages
3
West Virginia Secretary of State. Online Data Services – Business and Licensing
4
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 48-2-201 – Form of Marriage License
5
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 48-2-101 – Necessity of Marriage License
6
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 48-2-202 – Endorsement and Return of Marriage License