Marriages

SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO ACCESS THE ONLINE MARRIAGE LICENSE APPLICATION.  BOTH PARTIES MUST COME TO THE PROBATE COURT TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS WITHIN 5 DAYS OF SUBMITTING THE ONLINE APPLICATION.

If either of the applicants are a resident of the State of Georgia, the marriage license can be obtained from any Probate Court in Georgia. It is not required that an applicant obtain their marriage license from the county in which they reside. If neither of the applicants are a resident of the State of Georgia, the license must be obtained in the county in which the ceremony will take place. 

Proof of Age (Effective 7/1/2019, per O.C.G.A.19-3-36)

ALL APPLICANTS MUST PRESENT PROOF OF AGE, SUCH AS A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE OR VALID PASSPORT.

A 17-Year-Old may be issued a marriage license ONLY IF:

A petition is granted in Juvenile Court for Emancipation and a Certified Copy of such order is presented (See 15-11-720), and; 

15 Days have Passed since the date the order granting Emancipation was granted, and;

The Older Party to the marriage is no more than 4 years older than the younger party, and;

Both applicants have completed Premarital Education according to O.C.G.A. 19-3-30.1 

Previously Married:

If either applicant has been previously married and the marriage was dissolved by divorce or annulment, a certified copy of the divorce decree or annulment must be presented at the time of application. Applicants who have been married and divorced more than once need only provide certified copy of the divorce decree of the last marriage. 

If a previous marriage was dissolved by the death of the spouse, a certified copy of the death certificate must be presented at the time of application.

Fees (Effective 07/01/2019)

- Without premarital counseling: $67.00

- Marriage license with proof of premarital counseling: $27.00

The premarital certification must be presented to the court at the time of application in order to obtain the reduced fee. The certification must be issued in compliance with 19-3-30.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (must include at least 6 hours of instruction involving marital issues - which may include, but is not limited to, conflict management, communication skills, financial responsibilities, child and parenting responsibilities, and extended family roles). 

Surname 

The applicants must designate on the application the legal surname that will be used after the marriage. 

An applicant may choose:

• Given surname or surname as changed by a Court Order;

• Surname from a previous marriage;

• Spouse's surname;

• Combination of given or court-changed surname, surname from a previous marriage and/or the spouse's surname

The application process usually takes 10-15 minutes and both applicants must be present to apply. After you receive the license and the ceremony has been conducted, the officiant must sign and complete the license and it must be returned to the Court within 30 days of the ceremony. The Court will issue the certified copy of your marriage license upon receipt of the signed license. 

Additional certified copies of your marriage license (if the license was obtained in Madison County) may be obtained for a fee of $10.00 for each certified copy.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MARRIAGE CEREMONIES ARE NOT PERFORMED IN THE PROBATE COURT OF MADISON COUNTY.