Marriage certificate copy: where to order it and what it costs

A certified copy of a marriage certificate is ordered from the office that recorded the marriage in the state where the wedding took place, not where the couple lives. The first stop is always the local office that issued the license: the county clerk, recorder, probate court, register of deeds, or town or city clerk, which receives the signed license from the officiant and records it. In 14 of the 52 jurisdictions covered here, that local office is the only source of certified copies; the state may keep an index and sell only a verification letter. In the other 38, the state vital records office also issues certified copies, usually for a range of years, at a state fee from $5 to $34 for the first copy. The county fee is set locally and published on the county page. Copies become available once the license has been returned and recorded, which can take a few weeks after the ceremony. Agencies ask for a certified copy, with the seal of the issuing office, to change a name, add a spouse to insurance or file taxes jointly. The state fees and notes here were read on official pages; the date is shown for each state.