Will County Marriage License: Fees, Waiting Period, and Officiants

To get a Will County marriage license, both applicants must appear together, by appointment, at the Will County Clerk’s office with valid photo ID and $35. The license takes effect one day after it’s issued and stays valid for 60 days. Illinois law does not allow one person to apply on behalf of both.¹

What to Bring

Each applicant needs a valid, government-issued photo ID. The Clerk’s office accepts:

A driver’s license or state ID issued by any U.S. state (mobile IDs are not currently accepted)
A U.S. or foreign passport
A U.S. military ID card
A U.S. naturalization certificate

You’ll also need to provide your Social Security number and the birthplaces of both sets of parents. If either of you was previously married, bring the exact date and location of the divorce or the date of the former spouse’s death. The Clerk verifies all of this during the application, so having the details ready keeps you from making a second trip.¹

Age Requirements

You must be at least 18 to marry on your own. Applicants who are 16 or 17 can still get a license with the consent of both parents or a legal guardian, or with a court order approving the marriage. If one parent cannot be located, the other can provide consent along with a sworn statement describing the efforts made to find the absent parent. The minor and the consenting parent or guardian must appear together at the Clerk’s office with their own valid IDs.²

How to Apply

Both applicants must appear in person at the same time. The Clerk’s office currently issues marriage licenses by appointment only, Monday through Friday. To schedule, call (815) 740-4615 or email marriages@willcountyillinois.com.³

The office offers an online pre-application that lets you submit your biographical information before your appointment. Filling it out ahead of time shortens the in-person visit because staff can review your data against statutory requirements before you arrive.

Will County marriage licenses are also available through certain township offices, including DuPage Township and Crete Township. Hours and payment options at those locations vary, and township offices typically take cash only.

License Fee and Payment

The license fee is $35, due at your appointment. At the main Clerk’s office, certificates can be paid for by cash, personal check, money order, or credit and debit card, though payment options for licenses specifically may differ. If you’re applying at a township office, plan to bring cash.¹

Waiting Period and Expiration

The license does not take effect the day it’s issued. Under Illinois law, a marriage license becomes effective one day after issuance, so you cannot hold the ceremony the same day you pick up the paperwork. In extraordinary circumstances, a judge can waive the waiting period and make the license effective immediately.²

Once effective, the license is valid for 60 days. If the ceremony doesn’t happen within that window, the license expires and you’ll need to reapply and pay the fee again. There is no extension process, so build some buffer into your timeline if the wedding date might shift.²

Where the Ceremony Can Take Place

A Will County marriage license is intended for a ceremony held in Will County. Illinois law does include a safety net: if the ceremony is inadvertently held in a different Illinois county, the marriage remains legally valid. The statute explicitly says the solemnization is not invalidated by that mistake.²

That’s not a license to plan the wedding across a county line on purpose. The standard practice is to get your license in the county where the ceremony will happen. But if the venue sits a few hundred feet into the next county, or plans shift at the last minute, the marriage will not be voided over it.

Who Can Officiate

Illinois law authorizes several categories of people to perform a marriage ceremony:

Judges of any court of record, including retired judges (unless removed by the Judicial Inquiry Board) and Court of Claims judges
The mayor or president of any Illinois city, village, or incorporated town, as long as they hold office on the date of the ceremony
Any person acting in accordance with the practices of a religious denomination, Indian Nation, Tribe, or Native Group, provided the officiant is in good standing with that organization
Anyone whose official duties include the power to solemnize marriages

The religious officiant category is broad. Illinois doesn’t specify a particular ordination process, so ministers ordained through online organizations generally qualify as long as they’re performing the ceremony in accordance with their denomination’s practices. If you go that route, have your officiant confirm their credentials with the Clerk’s office before the wedding day.²

Illinois does not require witnesses at the ceremony. The license form may include spaces for witness signatures, but filling them in is not a legal requirement for a valid marriage.

After the Ceremony

Your officiant is legally required to complete the marriage certificate form and return it to the Will County Clerk’s office within 10 days of the ceremony. If no single person officiated, as can happen with certain religious traditions, both spouses share this responsibility. Until the certificate is filed, the marriage will not appear in county records, which can delay insurance changes, name updates, and benefits enrollment.²

Follow up with your officiant a few days after the wedding to confirm the form was submitted. An officiant who forgets to mail it can create real headaches weeks later.

Ordering Certified Copies

The license itself isn’t proof of marriage for banks, employers, or insurance companies. For that you’ll need certified copies of the marriage certificate, which become available after the Clerk records the completed form from your officiant.

The first certified copy costs $12, and additional copies ordered at the same time are $4 each. Order at least two copies right away, since you’ll likely need them simultaneously for name changes and benefits enrollment. You can request copies in person at the Clerk’s office with valid ID, by mail with a personal check or money order, or by phone with a credit or debit card at (815) 740-4615.¹

1
Will County Clerk. Will County Clerk – Marriage Certificates
2
Justia Law. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 5 Part II – Marriage
3
Will County Clerk. Service Schedule for County Clerk