Formal Marriage License Requirements:

  • Complete a Marriage License Application;
  • Both parties must appear together at one of the County Clerk Office locations. Parts of the application process may be completed by Absentee Application if one party is unable to appear in person;
  • For MINORS, both parties must be 18 years or older; effective September 1, 2017, Texas Family Code 2.003 states, A person under 18 years of age may not marry unless the person has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the person for general purposes;
  • Provide proof of identity and age (see list in English & Spanish);
  • Provide social security number, if you have one;
  • If DIVORCED, there is a 30 day waiting period after the divorce is final before remarriage, unless waived or divorced from each other. If the 30 day waiting period is waived, a certified copy of the divorce decree must be presented at the time the license if purchased;
  • Not presently married to someone other than the other applicant;
  • Not related to the other applicant;
  • For marriage by proxy, please call (281) 341-8685 or email cclerk@fortbendcountytx.gov for additional information.
  • For ceremony officiant information, see Texas Family Code 2.202.

Fees:

  • Formal Marriage License $71.00;
  • Formal Marriage License fee may be reduced to $11.00 with valid proof of state approved Pre-Marital Course, see requirements in Marriage License Waiting Period below;
  • A polysleeve can be purchased to protect the document for $2.00.

Appointments available, but not required for issuing a Marriage License.

Marriage License Designs:

Wedding Bells | Texas Flag | Hearts | Historic

Marriage License Waiting Period:

There is a 72-hour waiting period from the time of purchasing a marriage license to the marriage ceremony (Texas Family Code, Chapter 2, Section 2.204). Unless an applicant:

  • Is a member of the armed forces of the United States and on active duty;
  • Performs work for the United Sates Department of Defense as a employee or contract worker;
  • Obtains a written waiver from a judge of a court with jurisdiction in family law cases, a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a county judge , or a judge of a court of appeals;
  • Completes a premarital education course described by Texas Family Code Section 2.013 and provides the County Clerk with the course completion certificate indicating:
  1. Completion of the course within one year of the date the marriage license application is filed with the Clerk;
  2. Signed by the course instructor;
  3. Certificate states the names of both the applicants for the marriage license;
  4. Course name stated clearly somewhere on the certificate.

Application for Waiver of the Seventy-Two Hour Waiting Period can be found here .

Marriage License Expiration:

  • The license is only valid for 90 days including the date of purchase;
  • A marriage license expires if it has not been used before the 90th day after it was issued;
  • If a couple wishes to marry after the expiration date, a new license must be purchased.

After the Ceremony:

The person who performs the ceremony is responsible for returning the marriage license to the County Clerk's office no later than the 30th day after the date of the marriage ceremony. The license will be recorded into public record and returned:

  • To the couple via mail if dropped off by the officiant or anyone other than the couple;
  • To the couple directly, if brought in by at least one of the license applicants, upon presenting valid identification.

Marriage License copies are available once the license has been filed.