Planning & itineraries

How do you get married in Las Vegas (license, documents, same day)?

Travelers Real traveler question

We collected this one from what travelers actually ask, in search queries and on travel forums. The Vegas Guide team answered it below; anyone signed in can add an answer of their own.

Answer

1 answer

Vegas Guide Team Team

Same day is normal here. Get the license Downtown (open 8 a.m. to midnight, about 15 minutes at the counter, $102), then hold the ceremony at a chapel or with any licensed officiant the same afternoon.

Step 1: the license

  • Where: Clark County Marriage License Bureau, 201 East Clark Avenue, Downtown.
  • When: 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, including every holiday. No appointments; the quiet hours are 8 to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight, and Sundays and Tuesdays are the slow days.
  • Who: both of you, in person, with a valid government photo ID (a passport if you are from outside the US).
  • Before you go: fill in the online pre-application to save time.
  • Cost: $102; a card adds a small processing fee, and personal checks are not accepted.
  • Not needed: a blood test, a waiting period or Nevada residency. The license is good for a year anywhere in the state.

Who can marry

Both of you must be 18, or 17 with a parent's consent and a court order. Neither of you can be currently married; if you have been, you will be asked the month and year the last marriage ended. Relatives closer than second cousins cannot marry each other.

Step 2: the ceremony

Any licensed officiant: a chapel, a resort wedding room, an independent minister who meets you at the Welcome sign, or the Commissioner of Civil Marriages' office near the bureau for the no-frills version. Nevada requires one witness over 18, and the chapels supply one if you come alone.

Step 3: the certificate

The officiant files the signed license with the County Recorder. A certified copy of the marriage certificate (about $20) is what you take home; order it at the recorder's office or online a few days later. Add an apostille from the Nevada Secretary of State if a foreign country needs to recognize it.

A spontaneous wedding, in order

  1. Pre-apply online over breakfast.
  2. At the bureau by 10 a.m.
  3. Chapel booked for the afternoon. On a Saturday or a holiday weekend, book the chapel first; the famous ones run on a timetable.
  4. Dinner reservation after.

Costs are in how much a Las Vegas wedding costs, and validity for couples from abroad in is a Las Vegas wedding legally binding.

Link

Know the answer?