APPLICATION FOR CERTIFIED COPY OF A MARRIAGE LICENSE.pdf
The fee for a Certified Copy of a Marriage License is $8.00 per copy.
Marriage License
The fee for the marriage license is $82.00 cash or credit card. (No checks accepted.)
No appointment needed.
We stop issuing marriage license 30 minutes prior to lunch and closing.
Marriage License Waiting Period: There is a required 72-hour waiting period between the time a marriage license is obtained and the ceremony. The marriage ceremony may not take place during the 72-hour period immediately following the issuance of the marriage license unless an applicant: see Texas Family Code, Chapter 2, Section 2.204.
License Expiration: A marriage license is valid for 89 days from the date it is issued. 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.
You must be 18 or older to obtain a Marriage License
The Applicants must bring the following to the Madison County Clerk's Office:
Proof of identity may include an official copy of the applicant's birth certificate, a driver's license or state-issued identification card, or an approved document issued by Texas or another state, the United States, or a foreign government (i.e., passport, visa, military identification, etc.). Provide Social Security Number of each applicant (if the applicant has one). Applicants do not need to show a Social Security Card.
If divorced, and the divorce was finalized in Texas within the previous 30 days, an applicant must provide a certified copy of the divorce decree which states that the 30-day waiting period has been waived. This does not apply to out-of-state divorcees. If a previously-divorced applicant wishes to use her maiden name, she will need to provide identification showing that maiden name (such as a certified copy of her birth certificate or a certified copy of her divorce decree that states her name is to be changed).
Note: The Texas Twogether Program: Allows applicants to waive a portion of the marriage license fee if they complete a premarital education course and provide a certificate that the course was completed not more than one year before the date of the marriage license.
Twogether in Texas
Following the ceremony, the person authorized to conduct the service must date, sign, and note the county where the ceremony occurred on the certificate. The marriage license must then be returned (You are advised to overnight or mail with a tracking number with an enclosed return envelope) to the Madison County Clerk's Office within 30 days from the ceremony date. Once the office receives the license, it will be copied and filed and the original will be returned to you.
Persons Authorized to Conduct Marriage Ceremonies: In Texas, the following persons are authorized to conduct marriage ceremonies: A person who is an officer of a religious organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a marriage ceremony, or a Justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of criminal appeals, justice of the courts of appeals, judge of the district, county, and probate courts, judge of the county courts at law, judge of the courts of domestic relations, judge of the juvenile courts, retired justice or judge of those courts, justice of the peace, retired justice of the peace, judge of a municipal court, retired judge of a municipal court, or judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state, or retired judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state. A person meeting the above requirements does not need to apply for permission to marry couples and does not need to register with the County Clerk.