To get an Indiana marriage certificate, you first apply for a marriage license at the Clerk of the Circuit Court in an Indiana county, hold the ceremony within 60 days, and then wait for your officiant to file the signed paperwork with that same clerk. Once the marriage is recorded, you order certified copies from the clerk’s office, typically for around $4 each.1Steuben County, Indiana. Marriage License Information The certified copy with the raised seal is what banks, the Social Security Administration, insurers, and passport offices will actually accept as proof of your marriage.
Getting the Marriage License
Both applicants must be at least 18 to apply on their own, and both must appear in person at the clerk’s office. No proxies, no sending a relative or attorney in your place.2Indiana Judicial Branch. Apply for a Marriage License Indiana allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry only under a juvenile court order that emancipates the minor, with an age gap of no more than four years and a 15-day wait after the order before applying.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-1-5 – Marriage of Individual 16 or 17 Years of Age
If either of you lives in Indiana, apply in the county where one of you resides. If neither of you lives in the state, apply in the Indiana county where the wedding will happen.2Indiana Judicial Branch. Apply for a Marriage License Many counties let you start the application online through the Indiana Judicial Branch’s marriage portal, which shortens the counter visit to verification and signatures.
There is no waiting period. You can marry the same day the license is issued. The license is good for 60 days; if the ceremony doesn’t happen in that window, the license expires and you have to apply and pay again.2Indiana Judicial Branch. Apply for a Marriage License
The fee is $25 if either applicant is an Indiana resident and $65 if both live out of state.2Indiana Judicial Branch. Apply for a Marriage License Most clerks accept cash, credit cards, and money orders, though some offices add a convenience fee for cards.
One boundary worth naming: Indiana does not recognize common law marriage entered into after January 1, 1958. Living together, even for decades, does not create a marriage the state will certify.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-8-5 – Common Law Marriages Entered Into After January 1, 1958 You need a license and a ceremony.
What to Bring to the Clerk’s Office
Each applicant needs documentary proof of age. Indiana accepts a certified birth certificate, a valid passport, a driver’s license or state ID showing your date of birth and current address, an immigration or naturalization record, or a military service record with your birth date.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-4-6 – Proof of Birth Date If your license doesn’t show your current address, bring something that does.
The application also asks for details you may not have memorized. For each applicant: full name, birthplace, residence, age, names of any dependent children, both parents’ full names (including your mother’s maiden name), their last known addresses, and their birthplaces. Indiana reports that genealogical information to the Indiana State Library.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-4-4 – Application; Sexually Transmitted Diseases Acknowledgment; Lifetime Sex or Violent Offender; Religious Objections Multiple county clerks also require your Social Security number.
Been married before? Bring the exact month, day, and year that marriage ended, whether by divorce, annulment, or the death of a former spouse. You usually don’t need to hand over the decree or death certificate itself, but you do need the date.
The Ceremony and Filing the License
Indiana law authorizes clergy (ministers, priests, rabbis, imams), judges, the governor and lieutenant governor, state legislators, mayors within their county, clerks of the circuit court, and certain city and town clerks to perform marriages.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-6-1 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Marriages Online-ordained ministers commonly officiate in Indiana, and the state does not require officiants to register credentials with any state office. Ask your officiant to keep their ordination documentation available anyway in case a clerk or venue asks.
After the wedding, your officiant is legally required to file the signed marriage license and duplicate certificate with the Clerk of the Circuit Court within 30 days.8Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-4-16 – Completion, Disposition, Filing, and Recording of Marriage Certificates and Marriage Licenses Failure to file within 90 days is a Class C infraction.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-11-11-8 – Failure to Timely File Marriage License The penalty is mild, and this is where marriage records most often stall. A friend who got ordained online for the day may not know the deadline exists. Until the paperwork is filed and recorded, the county has no marriage on record for you and cannot issue any certified copies. Follow up.
Ordering Certified Copies
Once the clerk records the marriage, you can request certified copies from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where you applied. You can order in person or by mail. County fees vary slightly and are typically around $4 per certified copy.1Steuben County, Indiana. Marriage License Information
The Indiana State Department of Health also keeps a marriage index for marriages recorded from 1958 forward and can issue a certified Record of Marriage for $8, but the marriage certificate itself comes from the county clerk where the marriage was recorded.10Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Indiana
Order at least two or three copies up front. Between the Social Security Administration, the BMV, HR at your job, your bank, and any insurance updates, you’ll go through them quickly.
Using the Certificate to Change Your Name
The certified marriage certificate is your legal basis for a name change, but nothing updates automatically. You visit each agency in order.
Start with the Social Security Administration. Bring your certified marriage certificate, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid photo ID to a local SSA office and file Form SS-5 for a new Social Security card. Your number stays the same; only the name changes. The new card arrives by mail in about two to three weeks.11indy.gov. Change Your Name
After the SSA updates its records, take your marriage license to a local Indiana BMV branch to update your driver’s license or state ID. The BMV accepts a marriage license as proof of a name change.12Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Real ID Overview If you’ve changed your name more than once over the years, you may need documentation for each step. From there, work through your bank, employer records, insurance policies, and passport with additional certified copies of the certificate.