How to get married in Oregon | Marriage License Applications

Whether you’re local to Oregon or are flying in for an epic PNW destination wedding, you’ll need to know how to make it official! You will need to read this blog to understand the state’s marriage license regulations. Once you apply for a marriage license, you have between three and sixty days to become legally married before your license expires.

Step One: Research which county your wedding is taking place in

Whether you’re getting married at a downtown urban Portland venue, under a misty waterfall, or at the top of Mt. Hood, you’ll need to look up the address of your wedding or elopement spot to see which county it’s in. You’ll more than likely want the county that’s physically closest to you. This is because you have to appear in person to complete your license paperwork. In addition, you may also need to return to the county in order to pick up your certified marriage certificate after your marriage ceremony is completed as well, so keep this in mind.

Step Two: Fill out a Marriage License Application

You can obtain a marriage application in any of Oregon’s 36 counties. Each county will have slightly different requirements for fees and application processes. You can review the marriage license requirements by county at: http://aclu-or.org/MarriageLicense_by_County

• Most counties allow you to fill out your application online before you go into complete the paperwork.
• You can also request an application via mail or in person

For our couples flying into Oregon to be married, we recommend you apply for your marriage license right away! Therefore, if you’re landing at the PDX airport, you’ll want to go to the Multnomah County Clerk Office.

Step Three: Arrive in Person to obtain your marriage license

Firstly, both applicants must appear together in front of the county clerk to complete your marriage license paperwork. Secondly, you must both have ID. Lastly, you have to pay an application fee.

• The fee amount varies by county but typically it is $50 to $60.

For a list of county-by-county fees visit: http://aclu-or.org/MarriageLicense_by_County.

Step Four: Find an officiant

Oregon requires that a qualified person officiate your marriage ceremony. Under Oregon law, the individuals qualified to officiate are religious leaders authorized by a congregation or organization; Oregon judges; active federal or military judges; county clerks; and judicial officers.

To sum up, our favorite officiants are:

• Officiant Jimmie
• Wendy Duncan Ministries

Step Five: Gather two witnesses

You must have two witnesses present at your marriage ceremony. As a result, they must also sign the marriage license. However, if you’re eloping with us and a photographer, we can both sign as your witnesses FYI!!

Step Six: Get Married

Once you apply for your marriage license, you have 60 days to get married. Consequently, if you don’t, you will need to apply for a new marriage license. A marriage is valid in Oregon if two people declare to a qualified officiant that they agree to be married. And, they do so before two witnesses. After that, you’re married right?! Not quite, keep reading!

Step Seven: Complete your marriage license paperwork

Once you get married, the officiant must fill out and sign your marriage license paperwork. They must return it within 10 days of the ceremony to the clerk’s office. It will be the same office you applied at.

The officiant must provide the following information:

• Date, location and county of marriage.
• The officiant’s signature, title, name, address and phone number.
• The officiant must also provide the printed names of the witnesses.

Step Eight: Pick up your certified marriage license

Within 1 to 2 weeks after your ceremony, you can contact the office you applied at. You should ask if your license was officially recorded in the county and state of Oregon. If yes, you can purchase a certified copy of your marriage license. This is the legal document showing your marriage.

To clarify, you can also purchase a certified copy by mail or in person.

We hope this helped guide you towards your Oregon marriage license journey!

Looking for a wedding videographer?

Well hello! I’m Alesia with Alesia Films and i’m a destination wedding and elopement videographer based in Portland, OR. If you like my work above, please poke around my pricing page, triple check that I’m in your budget and fill out a contact form here! I can’t wait to hear from you!