Getting a Marriage License in Maryland

A license from the clerk of the circuit court for the county where the ceremony will take place is required. One of the parties applies in person at the clerk's office during regular hours, gives the required information under oath, and provides each party's Social Security number (if any) and a government-issued birth certificate or other official document showing age; nonresidents of the county may use a sworn affidavit instead. The license does not take effect until 6 a.m. on the second calendar day after it is issued, unless a circuit court judge authorizes an earlier time for good cause (one party must be a Maryland resident or a service member). It is valid for 6 months from its effective date and only in the issuing county. The state fee is $10, and counties may add a surcharge for domestic violence programs, so the total varies by county.

A person under 17 may not marry. A 17-year-old may marry only with the consent of each living parent, guardian or legal custodian (or, without that consent, a medical certificate of pregnancy or birth), and must also present to the clerk a certified court order authorizing the minor to marry, no earlier than 15 days after the order was issued.