NOTICE

 For instructions on how to fill out an online marriage license, click here.

 To fill out an online Marriage License Application, click the link below.  

 DO NOT MAIL YOUR PAYMENT

 You must pay the application fee by credit card at the time you submit your electronic application.  The application fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.  If you are unable to apply online, you will have to bring your payment with you to the oral examination when you apply for your license.

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 ONLINE MARRIAGE LICENSE APPLICATION

 You can still request a certified copy of your Marriage License by mail.  There is a link to the instructions and the Request form on this website.

Please submit your application online and you will receive a receipt for your payment via e-mail.  You must then come into our office for your oral interview.  Our office conducts oral interviews from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on weekdays when the Courthouse is open.  Check County website for holiday and inclement weather closings. We do not schedule appointments.

 If you bring a Cell phone or a smart watch into the Lancaster County Courthouse you will be required to place it in a locker in the lobby.

   Do not come to the office if you are ill or have a temperature.

When to Apply 

• Licenses are valid for 60 days from the date of issuance.
• Marriage licenses are valid on the third day following the oral examination.

ID and Age Requirements

• Social Security Number

  
   If you do not know your social security number from memory, you must present your original social security card.

• Government issued photo ID 

• We will accept any current identification issued by a government agency, bearing both a photograph and expiration date.
• We reserve the right to require additional forms of identification as deemed necessary.

Age Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18  years of age.

Remarriages

Information regarding the dissolution of the last marriage by divorce or annulment must be presented.

Divorces

You must present a copy of a divorce decree bearing a court seal and signature.

Decrees in a foreign language must be officially translated into English and the translation must be notarized. 

If a maiden name has been resumed, you must present a Resumption of Maiden Name document. 

Annulments

You must present a copy of an annulment bearing a court seal and signature.

Annulments in a foreign language must be officially translated into English and notarized and the translation must be notarized.

If a maiden name has been resumed you must present a Resumption of Maiden Name document.

Widows and Widowers

The date of death of the deceased spouse is required.

You do not need to present a death certificate.

Who May not Marry

Blood relatives down to and including first cousins may not marry under the laws of Pennsylvania.

Ceremony

A license issued by any Pennsylvania county can be used in any Pennsylvania county, however, the license is invalid outside of Pennsylvania.

Fee

• Application and License $60.
• Cash ( exact change only),  certified check, money order, credit cards, and debit cards ( $1.95 convenience fee for credit cards and debit cards).  NO PERSONAL CHECKS ACCEPTED
• Fee is waived for certified copy only of marriage record with proof of service in U.S. Armed Forces.

 Certified Copies

To obtain certified copies of your marriage certificate (ONLY for those licenses issued in Lancaster County), send $10, payable to the Clerk of Orphans' Court, along with:

• Names of both applicants
• Date of marriage
• A self-addressed, stamped, legal size envelope to:
  Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court
  50 N. Duke St.
  Lancaster, PA 17602

Please click to download the Certified Marriage Request Form.

Documents required to obtain an Apostille may not be provided the same day.  Even if you come into the office in person to request your certified copy,  please provide a self- addressed, stamped legal size envelope.

Internet Ordinations

Based on court cases resulting in conflicting judgments, applicants are advised that persons who have been ordained over the Internet may or may not be persons permitted to perform marriages in Pennsylvania.  You are advised to consult an attorney concerning the legality of such marriages.

Magisterial District Judges

View a list of Magisterial District Judges.  

Maryland Non Resident Marriage License Application 

As of January 1, 2013, the  Lancaster County Clerk of Orphans' Court no longer completes the Non-Resident Marriage License Application for Lancaster residents who wish to be married in Maryland.

Disclaimer of Liability 

Please be advised: if you choose to be married by someone other than the officiants specifically listed as authorized by Pennsylvania law, the burden of proof will be on you regarding the legality of your marriage should future issues arise that require a determination of the marriage's validity.