GET MARRIED IN UTAH.

APPLYING FOR A UTAH MARRIAGE LICENSE.

Marriage licenses are issued by and apply for through a county clerk/auditor. Each county has its own license, hours of operation, and protocols on how to apply for a license.  All counties will require some basics. Both parties will need to prove who they are. This is most commonly done by showing up together at the clerk's office to apply with a photo ID, but not always. More on that in a bit. Couples will need to provide information on previous marriages and on the officiant that will be performing the ceremony. Later I will explain how to find your officiant before you travel to Utah.

A Utah marriage license can be applied for up to 30 days before the wedding. It can not be used more than 30 days after it is issued. During normal business hours a couple can apply for and receive a marriage license in just a few minutes. 

Online Application

Not in Utah? That’s Okay!

You can apply for and be issued a marriage license from your couch at home. Utah County and only that county allows a 100% online marriage license. Much easier than coming to Utah, finding out what county you are in, then looking for the county seat, finding their building and both of you going in at the same time, and hoping the hours of operation line up with your trip and your schedule. 

To apply for your marriage license from Utah County you will both need a separate email address. You will also need a scanned copy of your government issued ID, and a selfie. When you have that visit the Utah County Clerk/Auditor office website. Navigate to Marriage License and Online Application. Follow the instructions and you will have a marriage license in about 15 minutes. You will be issued the license by email.

You will need to get your license to an authorized wedding officiant. To find an officiant that specializes in Utah elopements or virtual marriages click HERE.

If you were issued a paper license you will need to hand deliver that paper to your wedding officiant at or before the wedding. If you were issued an online license you will need to send the email sent to you by Utah County to your wedding officiant! The officiant will finish and finalize your marriage license. If the officiant does not have the information in that email they will not be able to marry you. 

WEDDING OFFICIANT.

Utah requires wedding ceremonies to be solemnized (officiated) by an officiant. The officiant must be authorized to conduct weddings in the state of Utah. Three groups are allowed to conduct and solemnize wedding ceremonies.

Certain government officials are authorized to solemnize wedding ceremonies. Some of these are mayors, judges, county clerks, and the governor of Utah.

Professional officiants to solemnize weddings. These officiants must be trained by a county to be a county “designee.” Some professional officiants, like Outland Officiants, get trained further in many different traditions. Outland Officiant officiants are county designees.

Active and ordained members of the clergy. The cleric can be from any faith group such as catholic priests or a native american shaman. Outland Officiant’s senior officiant, Thomas, is also an ordained minister.

WITNESSES.

Utah requires wedding ceremonies be witnessed by two witnesses. Witnesses must be 18 years of age or older. The names of the two witnesses will appear on your marriage certificate.

If you are having a wedding conducted virtually your witnesses do not need to be physically present. You will need to have a digital marriage license issued by Utah County. In this case your witnesses can be anywhere in the world as long as they can see and hear the ceremony via video conferencing platform such as Zoom.

WEDDING CEREMONY.

With your witnesses present your officiant performs a wedding ceremony.

Some key things about the ceremony to consider are:

  • Ceremonies do not need to be long. Very little is required to be said. So your ceremony should match what you want as far as length. If an officiant wants to speak for 30, 60, or even longer you should ask what the officiant plans to talk about. Many scenic spots in Utah only allow a ceremony to last 10 minutes to allow other visitors to enjoy the scene.

  • Utah does not require pre-marriage training or counseling of any kind. If you an officiant says it is required it is the officiant that is requiring it. If you do not want to complete any pre-marriage requirements you should look for another officiant.

MARRIAGE RECORDED.

AND CERTIFICATE ISSUED

After your wedding ceremony the officiant completes your marriage license with you. “Usually” the wedding ceremony takes place first, then the license signing is done all at once. Sometimes at elopements the officiant will verify the age and names of the witnesses first. This is so the officiant knows that the moment you are pronounced it is a legally recognizable marriage. Either way, by the end the license/certificate is complete. On a paper license the witnesses will print and/or sign (depending on the county), the “applicants” AKA the couple will both sign, then the officiant will sign. At that moment the officiant will most likely refer to the form as a certificate. The county will refer to the paper as a certificate only after they have recorded it. 

If you have a digital license from an online application it is a little different. The officiant verifies the witnesses and no one signs.  The officiant signs the application/license digitally, and submitted it online.

Learn More.

Resources and article about getting married in Utah.