Marriage license Info

Marriage License Info

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 CookDuPageKaneKendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, and DeKalb.

General Information:

  • In Illinois, you must obtain a marriage license (or civil union registration) 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 license, it is not valid until the actual 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 requests witnesses (two) to the ceremony. No County in the greater Chicago area requires any witnesses.
  • Both applicants must be present when applying for the license.
  • No blood test is required.
  • People 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 (this rule may be changing).
  • 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 or deliver the completed license.

Most counties are similar to Cook County in having these requirements to obtain a 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 nominal. However, you will need to obtain your DuPage County 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.

COOK COUNTY                Karen A. Yarbrough, County Clerk
50 W. Washington
Chicago, IL
312-603-5656
2121 Euclid Ave.
Rolling Meadows, IL
847-818-2850
1311 Maybrook Square #104
Maywood, IL
708-865-6010
16501 S. Kedzie Ave. #238
Markham, IL
708-210-4150
5600 W. Old Orchard Rd. #149
Skokie, IL
847-470-7233
10220 S. 76th Ave. #238
Bridgeview, IL
708-974-6150
DUPAGE County 
Jean Kaczmarek,
County Clerk
421 N. County Farm Rd.
Wheaton, IL 60187
630-407-5500
KANE County
John A. Cunningham,
County Clerk
719 Batavia Ave. (Route 31)
PO Box 70
Geneva, IL 60134
630-232-5950
LAKE County
Robin M. O’Connor,
County Clerk
18 N. County Street, Rm. 101
Waukegan, IL 60085
847-360-3610
MCHENRY County
Joseph J. Tirio,
County Clerk
2200 N. Seminary Rd. (Route 47)
Woodstock, IL 60098
815-338-2040
WILL County
Lauren Staley Ferry,
County Clerk
302 N. Chicago Street
Joliet, IL 60432-4060
815-740-4615
KENDALL County
Debbie Gillette,
County Clerk
111 West Fox Street
Yorkville, IL 60560
630-553-4104
DEKALB County
Douglas J. Johnson,
County Clerk & Recorder
110 E. Sycamore Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
815-895-7149
For any other county,
try searching
US Marriage Laws

Note: If any person plans to change their name because of marriage (or any other reason), they need to contact the Social Security Administration to get a new Social Security card. This would also apply if children will be changing their names.

As Featured on The Knot

Chicago Wedding Minister Officiant:

Click here to ask about Rev. Harris’ availability to perform your wedding, or to send him a message.