An Illinois marriage license is issued by the county clerk in the county where you plan to hold your ceremony. Both parties apply together in person, pay the county’s fee, and wait one day before the license takes effect. From that effective date, you have 60 days to marry, and after the ceremony your officiant returns the completed certificate to the same clerk within 10 days so the marriage becomes part of the state’s vital records.
Who Can Get a License
Both applicants must be at least 18 for the license to issue without extra steps. A 16- or 17-year-old can marry only with the consent of both parents or a legal guardian, or with court approval. If one parent cannot be located after genuine effort, the other parent can sign an affidavit describing those efforts, and that affidavit stands in for the missing consent. No one under 16 can get a license in Illinois.1Justia Law. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5 – Part II Marriage
Illinois prohibits marriages between ancestors and descendants, between siblings (full or half-blood, including by adoption), and between an aunt and nephew or uncle and niece. First cousins can marry only if both are 50 or older, or if one provides a physician’s certificate confirming permanent sterility. If either applicant is still legally married or in a civil union, the clerk will not issue a license until that prior relationship is formally dissolved.
Illinois does not require a blood test. That requirement was repealed in 1989, so there is no medical screening before you apply.
Where and How to Apply
Apply at the county clerk’s office in the Illinois county where the ceremony will take place. The license is not transferable to another county or another state, so a Cook County license does not work for a wedding held in DuPage. Both applicants must appear together in person, and many offices require an appointment, so check your county clerk’s website before going.
The application collects the following from each party:
- Legal name, sex, occupation, address, Social Security number, and date and place of birth
- Name and address of each party’s parents or guardian
- For anyone previously married: the date, location, and court of the dissolution or annulment, or the date and place of the former spouse’s death
- Whether the two applicants are related to each other, and if so, how
You will both sign the application in front of the clerk. The information is treated as a sworn statement, so misrepresenting anything can expose you to perjury consequences and can put the validity of the marriage at risk. Spell every name exactly as it appears on your identification, and verify dates and prior-marriage details before you sign.
Fees, Waiting Period, and Expiration
Fees vary by county. Cook County charges $60, while many other Illinois counties charge $75. Some offices accept only cash or checks; others take credit cards with a surcharge. Confirm accepted payment methods when you book your appointment.
The license does not take effect the day it is issued. Illinois requires a one-day waiting period, described in the statute as a calendar day rather than a full 24 hours. A license issued on Thursday becomes effective Friday. If you need to marry immediately, a judge can sign a court order waiving the waiting period so the license takes effect the same day.
Once effective, the license is valid for 60 days. If the ceremony does not happen in that window, the license expires and you have to apply and pay again.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Illinois law lists who may solemnize a marriage:
- Any judge of a court of record, including retired judges who have not been removed by the Judicial Inquiry Board, and judges of the Court of Claims
- The county clerk, but only in counties with two million or more inhabitants, which in practice means Cook County
- Any sitting mayor or president of a city, village, or incorporated town
- A person acting in accordance with the practices of a religious denomination, Indian Nation, Tribe, or Native Group, as long as that person is in good standing with the organization
The religious-officiant category is broad, and Illinois courts have generally accepted ministers ordained through online ministries when the ordination comes from a recognized religious body. The statute does not name online ordination, though, so if your officiant was ordained online, call your county clerk’s office in advance to confirm they will record the certificate without issue. Religious organizations are free to decline to perform any marriage that conflicts with their beliefs, with no legal penalty for refusing.
Filing the Certificate After the Wedding
The license you receive from the clerk comes attached to a blank certificate. Your officiant fills in the certificate after the ceremony with the wedding date, location, and their own name, title, and credentials, then returns it to the issuing county clerk within 10 days. If no single person solemnized the marriage, both spouses return the completed certificate together.
That 10-day deadline matters. Until the clerk records the certificate, your marriage has no official record in the state’s vital records system, and you cannot get a certified copy to prove it took place. Once the certificate is recorded, you can order certified copies from the clerk. Order several at once. Many agencies want an original with a raised seal rather than a photocopy, and juggling one certificate across simultaneous name-change and account-update requests slows everything down.
Using the Certificate to Update Your Name and Records
If either spouse is changing names, sequence the updates. Start with the Social Security Administration, because most other agencies will not process a name change until your Social Security record matches. Complete Form SS-5 and bring your certified marriage certificate and a government-issued photo ID to a local SSA office. There is no fee, and the new card usually arrives in 10 to 14 business days.
Next, update your driver’s license or state ID through the Illinois Secretary of State. For a REAL ID, federal rules require your legal name to match your identity documents, so bring the certified marriage certificate with a raised seal. The license portion alone will not be accepted as proof of a name change for REAL ID purposes.
For a U.S. passport, the form depends on timing. If your current passport was issued less than a year ago and the name change happened within that year, submit Form DS-5504 at no charge, unless you want expedited processing, which costs $60. Otherwise, use Form DS-82 and pay the standard renewal fee.
The IRS suggests that newly married employees give their employer a new Form W-4 within 10 days of the wedding. Marriage changes the filing statuses available to you and can shift your withholding, so updating promptly avoids a surprise balance or an over-withheld year.