How to Get Your Marriage License in Memphis, TN

Yay, you are getting married!!! Getting married to the love of your life is such a happy time! But, there are a few legal hoops to jump through first. Thankfully, this one that we’re covering today is pretty straightforward (and we’ll provide a few places where you can get the goods)!

What do I need to bring to get my marriage license?

To obtain a marriage license in Shelby County, both you and your S.O. must appear in person.

There are some age requirements for marriage in the State of Tennessee:

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 20, you will need a certified birth certificate for verification.
If you’re 21 and over, all you’ll need is a picture ID for verification.

How much is a marriage license?

Marriage licenses are good for 30 days from the date of issuance. If you wanna cut the cost down a little, you can always attend 4 hours of premarital counseling (by a qualified instructor) and the license will cost $37.50. (The instructor has to sign and notarize the Premarital Preparation form, though, so don’t forget that crucial step!) If you don’t wanna do that, or simply don’t have the time, the cost is $97.50!

Also, when you’re applying for a marriage license, you can complete the Marriage Application beforehand. It saves some time, and it’s pretty easy to do!

So, what all will you get when go?

What’s included is:

The Marriage License - Rites of Matrimony
The Marriage License - Certified Copy
The Tennessee Department of Health - Certificate of Marriage forms
You may have seen pictures of couples signing documents after their ceremony. It’s these two! After your I do’s, both forms (the ones mentioned above) must be filled in and signed by the person who performed the ceremony and a witness and usually your officiant will send it back to the County Clerk's Office to be recorded.
Do NOT forget to do this, or the marriage won’t be recognized by the State of Tennessee until the Shelby County Clerk's Office has both forms and they’re entered into the system.

Be sure to use the Marriage License within 30 days, or it’s voided and you’ll have to purchase a new license... and thus go through all this mess again. We don’t want that!

Where to go?

Here are 3 locations where you can get all the good stuff (and they’re all open Monday through Friday):

Downtown - 150 Washington Avenue
Shelby East Complex - 1075 Mullins Station Road
Millington - 4836 Navy Road