Marriage License Information

Please contact the County Clerk's office for the County in which you plan to be married for their latest rules and regulations. This page is only intended to be a general guide. The 8 counties in the greater Chicago area are Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, and DeKalb.

General Information:

• In Illinois, you must obtain a marriage license no more than 60 days, and no less than 24 hours, before your marriage.

• You must purchase your license together in the COUNTY in which you will be married.

• Even though you purchase a wedding license, it is not valid until the actual wedding ceremony is performed by an "officiant", and the license is signed and returned by them to the County from which it was purchased.

• As of the moment, only DuPage County requires witnesses (two) to the marriage ceremony. No other County in the greater Chicago area requires any witnesses to the wedding.

• Both applicants must be present when applying for the license.

• No blood test is required.

• People of the opposite sex 18 years old and older who are not blood relatives may marry without parental consent.

• First cousins older than the age of 50 may marry.

• Applicants between the ages of 16 and 17 may marry only under certain conditions.

• A certified divorce decree may need to be produced if either party has been divorced. (There may be a lapsed time period beyond which no decree is required to be presented; for example, 6 months for Cook County.)

• Note: Illinois law requires the officiant to mail in the completed marriage license.

Most counties are similar to Cook County in having these requirements to obtain a marriage license. Each applicant must provide identification and proof of age by showing the following:

• A valid U.S. driver's license

• OR a valid U.S. state identification card

• OR a valid U.S. passport

• OR a valid U.S. military identification card.

• OR a valid Illinois Dept. of Public Aid card (I.D. and medical card)

If either person does not have any of these forms of identification, then they must present TWO of the following pieces of identification:

• A certified copy of their birth certificate

• A baptismal record which includes the applicant's date of birth

• A valid foreign passport

• U.S. naturalization papers

• A valid U.S. resident alien card (from INS)

• A life insurance policy, in effect for at least one year, with the applicant's date of birth

• Any consulate identification card (no affidavits accepted)

Also Important:

• For couples on a budget, or in a hurry, DuPage County currently has civil wedding ceremonies conducted almost every Friday, starting at about 11:30 AM. The ceremony cost is $10.00. However, you will need to obtain your DuPage County marriage license at least 24 hours prior to the ceremony. Cook County also conducts civil ceremonies at some of their offices.

• Please contact each County Clerk's Office for the latest information.

Below is a list of County Clerk Offices where a marriage license may be purchased. You may "click" on any of the County names below to link over to their official website.

Note: If a woman plans to change her name because of marriage (or any other reason), she needs to contact the Social Security Administration to get a new Social Security card. This would also apply if children will be changing their names. Click here for Form SS-5.

Rev. Daniel L. Harris Elmhurst, IL 60126 (630) 279-4826 Send email to Rev. Harris

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