Maryland Marriage License Records: Who Can Request, Fees, and Timing

Copies of Maryland marriage records come from one of three offices, and which one you contact depends on when the marriage happened. The Division of Vital Records at the Maryland Department of Health issues certified copies for marriages on or after January 1, 2007. For marriages before that date, the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the license was issued is the custodian. The Maryland State Archives holds historical marriage records going back to the mid-1600s and is the right stop for genealogical research.¹

Which Office Holds Your Record

Pick the wrong office and you lose the fee. Maryland splits custody by date:

2007 to present. Division of Vital Records, Maryland Department of Health.
Before 2007. Clerk of the Circuit Court in the Maryland county where the marriage license was issued.
Historical records. Maryland State Archives, with holdings from the mid-1600s through 2013.²

If you send a request to the wrong office, staff won’t forward it or search on your behalf. You pay again at the correct custodian. For older records, when you aren’t sure where to start, the Circuit Court Clerk for the county that issued the license is usually the safest first call.

Who Can Request a Certified Copy

Maryland restricts certified copies to a short list:

Either spouse named on the record.
An authorized representative of either spouse, with a notarized letter signed by one of the spouses granting permission.
An attorney representing either spouse, with proof of representation.

A parent, sibling, or adult child cannot walk in and request a certified copy without written authorization from one of the spouses.¹ If you only need to confirm a marriage took place, many older marriage indexes are freely searchable through the Maryland State Archives, and original records over 100 years old are increasingly posted online for remote access.²

Information You Need Before You Apply

Every request needs specific details, and a missing one can send back an empty search:

Full names of both spouses, including birth names or maiden names used at the time of the marriage.
The date of the marriage.
The county where the marriage license was issued.

The county detail trips people up. What matters is the county that issued the license, not where the ceremony was held. Those can be different. Submitting the wrong county means the search comes back empty, and the processing fee is not refunded.¹ If the office can’t locate your record, you receive a Certificate of Record Search in place of a refund.

How to Submit a Request

For marriages from 2007 onward, the Division of Vital Records accepts requests online, by mail, or in person.

Online Through VitalChek

The Department of Health partners with VitalChek for online orders. You select Maryland on VitalChek’s site and submit the request with a credit card. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa are accepted, and VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the state certificate fee.¹ For anyone who doesn’t live near a Maryland courthouse, this is usually the most practical option.

By Mail

Download the application from the Department of Health website, fill it out, and mail it to the Division of Vital Records in Baltimore with payment. Mail orders accept checks or money orders payable to the Division of Vital Records.³ Include a copy of valid photo identification with the signed application.

In Person

Visit the Division of Vital Records lobby in Baltimore for same-day service. For pre-2007 records, go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the license was issued.

Fees

Division of Vital Records, mail: $12.00 per certified copy.
Division of Vital Records, online via VitalChek: $13.00 per certified copy, plus VitalChek’s service fee.
Division of Vital Records, expedited shipping (online only): $20.00 per certified copy.
Clerk of the Circuit Court: $5.50 per certified copy; plain uncertified copies $0.50 each.

The Department of Health fee schedule confirms these amounts.³ Circuit Court offices accept money orders or cashier’s checks payable to “Clerk of Circuit Court.” Some offices accept additional payment forms, so call ahead if you want to pay another way.⁴ All fees are non-refundable.

How Long It Takes

Processing times at the Division of Vital Records vary by method:

In person at the DVR lobby: same day.
Online with expedited shipping: about 3 weeks.
Online with regular shipping: about 5 weeks.
Mail: about 6 weeks.

These timelines fluctuate with volume.⁵ If a name change, insurance enrollment, or other time-sensitive matter is driving the request, plan well ahead or go in person. A six-week mail wait catches many people off guard.

Certified Copies vs. Uncertified Records

A certified copy carries an official raised seal and functions as a legal document. You need one to change your name with the Social Security Administration, update a passport, add a spouse to insurance, or handle property and estate transactions. An uncertified copy has no legal standing for those purposes.

For family history research where you only need to confirm names and dates, an uncertified copy or an index search through the Maryland State Archives is usually enough and far cheaper.

Historical and Genealogical Records

The Maryland State Archives is the primary resource for anything older than what the Division of Vital Records keeps. Holdings span from the mid-1600s through 2013.²

You can search marriage indexes from home, and the Archives continues digitizing original records over 100 years old for online access. For records not yet online, place an order through the Archives’ website or visit in person. An appointment is recommended, and some records are stored offsite and need 7 to 10 business days of advance notice to retrieve for viewing.²

One limit to be aware of: Maryland did not begin creating full-page marriage certificates until 1914. Earlier records are single-line ledger entries with basic information and far less detail than a modern certificate.² For a colonial-era line, those ledger entries may be all that exists.

The Library of Congress also maintains a guide to Maryland vital records that can help orient genealogical researchers to what is available at the state and county level across different time periods.⁶

1
Maryland Department of Health. Division of Vital Records – Request Marriage Certificates
2
Maryland State Archives. Guide to Government Records – Marriage Records
3
Maryland Department of Health. Vital Statistics Administration – Fees
4
Maryland Courts. Clerk of Circuit Court – Request for Copy of a Maryland Marriage Record
5
Maryland Department of Health. Vital Statistics Administration – Processing Time
6
Library of Congress. Maryland – Local History and Genealogy Resource Guide