Getting a Marriage License in Wisconsin

Get a license from the county clerk of any Wisconsin county (a nonresident may complete their part of the application where they live). Both parties sign the application, give Social Security numbers if they have them, present documentary proof of identification and residence, swear to the application before the clerk, and show a certified copy of a birth record plus any divorce judgment or death record affecting marital status. The license cannot be issued within 3 days of application, unless the clerk agrees to issue it sooner for an extra fee of up to $25. The license authorizes a ceremony anywhere in Wisconsin within 60 days of issuance. The state fee is $49.50, which county boards may increase. A person who was a party to a divorce may not remarry until 6 months after the divorce judgment.

Anyone 18 or older may marry if otherwise competent. A person aged 16 or 17 may get a license with the written consent of a parent, guardian or custodian, given under oath before the county clerk or notarized, and filed with the application; if there is no parent, guardian or custodian (or the custodian is an agency), the probate court may give consent after notice and a hearing. The statute sets no path for anyone under 16.