Marriage License Information

To obtain a marriage license at our Clerk’s office, you will need the following:

• Both parties need to be present at the same time. See Who May Marry in Virginia below for age requirement and prohibited marriages in Virginia. If both parties cannot be present, please see Marriage Affidavit Process to request an affidavit.
• Both parties must have a valid, non-expired government issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or DMV issued ID card. We will not accept photos of the ID on your phone or other device.
• $30 fee payable by cash, check, money order or credit card. All credit card transactions will include a 4% surcharge.
• Our office does not provide "Justice of the Peace" services at the Courthouse for immediate unions. Please expand the Officiants for the Ceremony section below for more information.

Requirements

• There are no residency requirements and couples may purchase their marriage license at any circuit court in Virginia.
• The marriage ceremony must be performed in Virginia within 60 days after the license is issued. The day the license is issued counts as Day 1 as there is no waiting period required between application and issuance of the license and a couple may be married immediately after the issuance of a license.
• No blood test is required.
• For divorced persons, there is no statutory waiting period before marriage after the divorce is finalized. A copy of divorce decree is not required.

Online Application

Use the link below to complete the information for the application prior to coming to the office. After submitting the information for both parties, you will need to come to our office to review the application and take the oath to receive the license.

Hours

Marriage licenses are issued Monday - Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, excluding holidays. We request that you complete the application prior to coming to the office. We have public stations available to use if you cannot complete the application prior to coming to the office. We ask that you arrive no later than 4:15 pm to have time to complete the process.

• Our office does not provide "Justice of the Peace" services at the Courthouse for immediate unions. Please expand the Officiants for the Ceremony section below for more information.

Age Requirement

As of July 1, 2024, the minimum age to get married will be 18.

Prohibited Marriages

The following categories of marriages are illegal in Virginia:

• A marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties
• A marriage between an ancestor and descendant; or between a brother and a sister; or between an uncle and a niece; or between an aunt and a nephew; whether the relationship is by the half or whole blood or by adoption
• When either party lacks the mental or physical capacity to consent to the marriage
• Common law marriages are not valid if entered into in Virginia or any other jurisdiction which does not permit them for its residents

Our office does not provide "Justice of the Peace" services at the Courthouse for immediate unions. You can find authorized celebrants under Civil Celebrants List below. If you want to get married at the courthouse or do not have an officiant, you can contact one of them directly to perform the ceremony. An officiant who is authorized by a circuit court in Virginia must perform the ceremony and complete the certificate at the bottom of the license. VIRGINIA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ONLINE ORDINATIONS.

One-Time Civil Celebrant

If you have an individual that you want to perform the ceremony and they are not currently authorized by a circuit court in Virginia to perform ceremonies, the individual will need to contact a circuit court within their judicial circuit to petition to become a one-time civil celebrant.

If the individual does not live in Virginia and may be authorized under § 20-23 as a minister, please contact our Civil Division at 540-564-3113 or 540-564-3114 for more information on how to be authorized in Virginia. If an out-of-state individual does not qualify under that code section or an in-state individual does not meet the requirements to become a civil celebrant, they will not be able to perform the ceremony as AGAIN, VIRGINIA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ONLINE ORDINATIONS.

Our office does not provide "Justice of the Peace" services at the Courthouse for immediate unions. The individuals below are not affiliated with the court or our office.

If you do not have someone to perform your ceremony, you can contact a civil celebrant that has been authorized by the court on the list below.

Civil celebrants for Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg are shown below. Click on name to start an email or right-click on name and select Copy email address to paste into a new email.

§ 20-27. Fee for Celebrating Marriage

Any person authorized under § 20-25 to celebrate the rites of marriage shall be permitted to charge the parties a fee for the ceremony not to exceed $75 for each ceremony. Such person and parties may negotiate payment for any additional services agreed to by the celebrant and the parties. Additionally, such person shall be permitted to charge the parties travel expenses to and from the marriage site. If conveyance is by public transportation, reimbursement shall be at the actual cost thereof. If conveyance is by private transportation, reimbursement shall be at the rate specified in the current general appropriations act of the Commonwealth. In either event, the actual cost of the ceremony together with travel expenses shall be given to the parties at least three days prior to the marriage ceremony.

How to Request a Certified Copy Online

• Go to www.rockinghamcountyva.gov/sra
  • Accept the disclaimer. Click on Document Search - Web. Scroll to the bottom of the page to click on Marriage Search and Certified Copy Request.
  • Enter one of the names as it was on the application in Either Party Name field then click on Search.
  • If there is a date under Marriage Date, you can request a copy by clicking on the shopping cart + button that appears on the far right when the cursor is on the record or you can view the record and click on the +Purchase button on the right side of the screen. If there is not a marriage date shown or no shopping cart icon, the license has not been returned yet. Check again later.
  • The purchase window will appear, enter the # of copies that you need and click on Proceed to Checkout.
  • Enter Customer Information and Shipping Information and click on Place Your Order to proceed to the payment screen. Enter your credit card information to complete the process.
  • Requests received before 4:00 PM on a business day will be processed and mailed on the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM, on weekends or holidays will be processed and mailed on the next business day.

  The first step in changing your name after getting married is to get a certified copy of the license from the Clerk’s Office that issued it. See How to Request a Certified Copy Online above for how to request online or Info on Copy Requests by Division for all the ways to request a copy. Certified copies are $2.50 ($2.60 if a credit card is used for payment) and are available when the license is returned to our office by the officiant. After getting a certified copy, you will need to notify the following to change your name:

  • Social Security -
    • When you visit the SSA.gov Social Security number & card webpage, you can answer a series of questions that will determine whether you can:
      • Complete the application process online.
      • Start the application process online, then bring any required documents to your local Social Security office or card center to complete the application.
      • Complete the application process at your local office.
      • Select your language preference.
      • Select the most convenient office to receive service.
      • Choose to receive communications via email or text.
      • Choose to receive email or text appointment reminders.
      • Conveniently use your mobile device to check in for the appointment.
      • You can also reschedule, modify, or cancel your appointment online without having to call or visit the office.
      • Driver's License - Bring your driver's license, Social Security card, and a certified copy of your marriage record the Department of Motor Vehicles office nearest you.
      • Passport - See the U.S. Department of State website for information on how to change the name on your passport.
      • Voter Registration - Notify your local registrar's office of your name change.
      • Personal Property - Notify your local Commissioner of the Revenue's Office of your name change within 30 days.
      • Address Changes - If you will also be changing your address, do not forget to notify the Registrar's Office, Commissioner of the Revenue's Office, the U.S. Postal Service USPS Change of Address and the Internal Revenue Service with IRS Form 8822.

      Pursuant to § 20-16.1, the clerk (i) may, on his own authority, correct marriage records established in his office by amending the same upon application under oath and submission of evidence deemed by the clerk to be adequate and sufficient and (ii) shall correct such records upon order of the court in which the marriage record was established.

      The fee to amend a license is $10. A 4% surcharge applies if paid by credit card. Once presented with evidence that the clerk's office deems adequate and sufficient to show that information was incorrect at the time the license was issued, parties will need to sign an affidavit under oath to the amended information. Certified copies can be requested for the amended license at the same time, if needed.