Both people (parties) must appear in person together and must provide proof of all of the following:

• Age - both parties must be at least 18 years of age.
• A valid driver's license, state identification card, or passport (the actual document will need to be presented). 
• U.S. citizens must provide their social security number (it is not necessary to bring in the social security card).
• Non-citizens may provide a social security number or an alien registration number issued by Immigration and Naturalization Service (it is not necessary to bring in the social security card or INS card).

Both people must jointly complete a marriage license application form. You will be asked to provide the start and end dates of any previous marriages and how the marriages ended, if applicable.

Florida law requires that both people read the Marriage Handbook [see Related Documents] before applying for a marriage license.

Nonrefundable marriage license fee of $86.00. The fee is $61.00 for Florida residents who have completed a premarital preparation course with a qualified registered course provider. (If you are a pre-marital course provider and you are not on this list, you can download information on how to register.)

Online applications require credit card payment. The following methods of payment are acceptable for in-person applications: cash, money order, traveler's check, credit card, or personal check. If paying with a personal check, your name and current address must be imprinted on the check and a photo identification is required.

If you decide to come to the Clerk's Office without an appointment, you can view current wait times and locations for Marriage Licenses here to decide when the best time is for you to come in to our offices. If you would like, you can schedule an appointment at our Brandon, Plant City and Downtown Tampa locations.

Yes. Both people must be present to sign the marriage license application form and take an oath to the truthfulness of the information provided.

No. Blood tests are not required in Florida when applying for a marriage license.

There is a three-day waiting period if one or both of the individuals who are marrying is a Florida resident*, unless they present a certificate of completion of a premarital preparation course from a qualified registered course provider or a signed statement attesting they have taken a premarital preparation course from a qualified registered course provider and reading the Marriage Handbook [see Related Documents]. Note: If BOTH people are non-Florida residents, there is no waiting period, but you are still required to read the Marriage Handbook [see Related Documents]. If one person is a non-Florida resident but the other person IS a Florida resident, the waiting period will apply. *A Florida resident is a person whose official address of record is within the state of Florida.

The date the marriage license is issued does not count as the first day. You will need to wait an additional two full days. You may then be married on the following day:

• If you get your marriage license on Monday, then you can get married on Thursday.
• If you get your marriage license on Tuesday, then you can get married on Friday.
• If you get your marriage license on Wednesday, then you can get married on Saturday.
• If you get your marriage license on Thursday, then you can get married on Sunday.
• If you get your marriage license on Friday, then you can get married on Monday.

Florida marriage licenses are valid for 60 calendar days from the issuance date. The marriage ceremony must be performed between the effective date and the expiration date on the license within the state of Florida. If your marriage license expires regardless of the reason before you have an opportunity to use it or is lost after you receive it, you must pay the fees for a new marriage license.

No, it is not necessary to apply for a new marriage license in the county where you live. A marriage license may be applied for and solemnized* in any Florida county.  [*Solemnized, when spoken of in a marriage, means to perform a marriage ceremony before a witness.]

A marriage license issued in Florida is only valid within Florida.

A marriage license issued by another state is not valid in Florida.

A Florida issued marriage license can be used anywhere in Florida, but must be returned to the county Clerk that issued it to be recorded after the wedding is performed.

No marriage ceremony may be performed without a valid Florida marriage license. Florida Statute 741.08 states that "the party solemnizing* the marriage shall require a properly issued license before performing the ceremony, and within 10 days after the ceremony, he shall make a certificate thereof on the license, and shall transmit the same to the office of the county judge or clerk of the circuit court from which it issued." [*Solemnizing, when spoken of in a marriage, means to perform a marriage ceremony before a witness.] Simply put, this means that the official performing the marriage must certify that the marriage ceremony was lawfully performed by them and send the marriage record to the county clerk to be recorded.

You must have terminated the previous marriage with a court order (a final judgment of divorce/dissolution of marriage or annulment) or by death before you can enter into a new marriage. No marriage license can be issued when any party to the new marriage is still married.

Only qualified premarital course providers can be registered as such with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court, and these registered premarital course providers are the only ones whose training is accepted by the Clerk for marriage license applications in Hillsborough County. You can download the list to see if you are currently on the Clerk's of qualified registered premarital course providers. If you want to be registered with the Clerk, you can download the instructions and form. There is no cost for qualified course providers to register.

We now offer the option to schedule an appointment for application for a marriage license and to schedule an appointment to get married at any of our locations. You can also check our current marriage license wait times for our locations that process marriage license applications before coming to our offices to see how long your wait will be if you want service at any Clerk
location. Generally, there is no wait or a wait of just a few minutes for marriage license applications, so appointments are not needed. Come on down!