Marriage laws in Maryland require every couple to get a license from the circuit court clerk in the county where the ceremony will happen, wait out a short delay before the license takes effect, and then be married by an authorized officiant within six months. Both parties must be at least 18 to marry without restrictions. Fees run roughly $35 to $85 depending on the county, and the license becomes effective at 6:00 a.m. on the second calendar day after it’s issued.
Who Can Marry in Maryland
The minimum age to marry is 17. No one younger can marry under any circumstances after the 2022 Child Marriage Prevention Act tightened the rule. A 17-year-old needs two things. First, consent from every living parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or, if that consent isn’t available, a certificate from a licensed physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner confirming that the woman to be married is pregnant or has given birth. Second, a court order authorizing the marriage. The minor must present a certified copy of that order to the clerk no earlier than 15 days after it was issued, which builds in a cooling-off period.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-301 – Marriage of Individual Under the Age of 17 Years Anyone 18 or older marries without parental consent or court involvement.
Prohibited Marriages
Maryland voids marriages between close relatives, and the list is broader than most people expect. Marrying a grandparent, parent, child, sibling, or grandchild is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,500. A second tier reaches in-laws and step-relations: a stepparent, a spouse’s parent or grandparent, a spouse’s child or grandchild, a child’s spouse, a grandchild’s spouse, or a niece or nephew. Those violations carry a maximum fine of $500.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-202 – Marriages Within Certain Degrees of Relationship Void; Penalties Either way, the marriage is automatically void.
Bigamy is a felony punishable by up to nine years in prison.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 10-502 – Bigamy The statute makes one exception: if your prior spouse has been continuously absent for seven years and you genuinely don’t know whether they are alive, it doesn’t apply. Maryland also refuses to recognize a marriage where either party lacked the mental capacity to understand what marriage is; such a marriage can be challenged and voided.
Applying for the Marriage License
You apply at the circuit court clerk’s office in the county where the ceremony will take place. Another county’s clerk cannot help you.4Maryland Courts. How to Apply for a Marriage License Only one party has to appear in person before the clerk and give the required information under oath: both parties’ full legal names, addresses, dates of birth, whether the two are related by blood or marriage, current marital status, and the date and place any prior marriage ended. Social Security numbers are collected for the electronic file but stay confidential.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-402
Documents to Bring
Bring an official government-issued birth certificate or another government-issued document showing each party’s age.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-402 A passport or driver’s license showing date of birth typically works.
If either of you was previously married, expect to give details on how every prior marriage ended, including the exact date and location of the divorce or the spouse’s death. If the divorce or death was within the past year, bring the actual decree or death certificate. Any document not in English needs a legally translated copy.6Maryland Courts. Marriage License Information The exact-date requirement trips people up. If your divorce was three years ago and you can’t remember the day it was finalized, track that down before you go.
Maryland does not require a blood test or physical exam.7Maryland Courts. Marriage License Information
If Neither of You Lives in the County
When neither party lives in the county of the ceremony, the clerk will accept a sworn affidavit in place of an in-person appearance. The affidavit has to contain the same information required from in-person applicants and must be sworn before a clerk or comparable official in the county, state, or country where the person lives.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-402 Mail the completed form to the clerk’s office with the fee by money order; personal checks are generally not accepted.8Prince George’s County Judicial, MD. Marriage License
Fees
Fees vary by county. Baltimore County charges $35.9Maryland Courts. Licensing Montgomery County charges $55.10Montgomery County, MD Circuit Court. How Do I Get a Marriage License? Prince George’s County charges $70.8Prince George’s County Judicial, MD. Marriage License Baltimore City charges $85 and accepts cash only.11Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Land Records and Licenses Division Accepted payment methods differ, so call ahead.
The Waiting Period and How Long the License Lasts
The license does not become effective until 6:00 a.m. on the second calendar day after issuance.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-405 – Issuance of License; Effective Date; Expiration Pick it up Monday and the earliest you can hold the ceremony is Wednesday morning. A ceremony performed inside the waiting period is not legally valid.
A circuit court judge can waive the waiting period for good cause if at least one party is a Maryland resident or a member of the U.S. armed forces.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-405 – Issuance of License; Effective Date; Expiration Military deployment and pregnancy have historically been common reasons for a waiver request.
Once effective, the license is valid for six months. Miss that window and you have to apply and pay again.4Maryland Courts. How to Apply for a Marriage License
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Four categories of people are authorized to officiate a marriage in Maryland:13Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-406
- Any official of a religious order or body authorized by the rules and customs of that order to perform marriages, including ministers, rabbis, imams, priests, and those ordained through online ministries whose ordaining body authorizes them.
- The clerk of the circuit court in any Maryland county.
- A deputy clerk specifically designated by that county’s circuit court clerk.
- Any Maryland state court judge, federal district or appellate judge, U.S. Tax Court judge, or a retired judge from any state eligible for recall.
Couples cannot self-officiate. There is no self-uniting option outside religious traditions that follow that practice, such as the Society of Friends, where the certificate is signed by the two parties and two overseers of the ceremony rather than by a traditional officiant.14Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-403
Witnesses are not required. The marriage certificate only has a signature line for the officiant.14Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law – Section 2-403 Both parties must be physically present. Marriages by proxy, over the internet, by phone, or through any other remote method are not valid in Maryland.15Maryland Courts. Marriage Licenses for Calvert County
Common-Law and Out-of-State Marriages
You cannot create a common-law marriage in Maryland. No length of cohabitation and no amount of holding yourselves out as married will do it. Maryland will, however, recognize a common-law marriage that was validly formed in a jurisdiction that allows them, as long as the couple met that jurisdiction’s requirements.
Maryland also generally recognizes marriages validly performed in other states or countries, even when the couple couldn’t have married under Maryland’s rules. The limit is that the marriage cannot violate the state’s core prohibitions on close-relative marriages or bigamy.16Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-201 – Valid Marriages Same-sex marriages performed anywhere in the United States or abroad are fully recognized.
If you married abroad and want a Maryland record, you can have the marriage recorded with a circuit court clerk by presenting either a certificate of marriage signed by the officiant or an official certified copy of the marriage record.17Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-502 – Foreign Marriage Record Book; Certificate of Records
After the Ceremony
Once the officiant signs the certificate and returns it to the clerk, you’ll want certified copies for insurance, tax filings, name changes, and other paperwork. For marriages on or after January 1, 2007, order certified copies from the Maryland Division of Vital Records by mail, in person by appointment at the Baltimore office, or online through VitalChek, which adds a processing fee.18Maryland Department of Health. Request Marriage Certificates For marriages before 2007, contact the circuit court where the license was issued or the Maryland State Archives.
Changing your name? Start with the Social Security Administration, because most other agencies expect your SSA record to match your new name before they’ll update theirs. You can start online through your my Social Security account or submit Form SS-5 with proof of identity, the legal name change, and current citizenship or immigration status.19Social Security Administration. How Do I Change or Correct My Name on My Social Security Number Card? After that, update your driver’s license, bank accounts, employer records, and passport in roughly that order.
What Marriage Changes Legally
Under Maryland’s Marital Property Act, nearly all property acquired during the marriage is marital property, regardless of who paid for it or whose name is on the title. That covers real estate, bank accounts, retirement plans, and vehicles. If the marriage ends in divorce, marital property is subject to equitable distribution by the court.16Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code Section 2-201 – Valid Marriages Equitable does not mean equal; the court weighs each spouse’s contributions, economic circumstances, and the length of the marriage.
Some property stays non-marital even when acquired during the marriage: gifts and inheritances from third parties, and anything carved out by a valid prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. If keeping specific assets separate matters, get the agreement in writing before or shortly after the wedding.
Marriage also affects healthcare decisions. If your spouse becomes incapacitated without designating someone else through an advance directive, you’ll generally have priority to make medical decisions on their behalf. Spouses may become jointly responsible for debts incurred during the marriage, and your combined income and assets are considered together for tax purposes.