Is a Las Vegas wedding legally binding, including for foreigners?

Binding everywhere in the United States, and in most other countries once you register it at home. A Nevada license, a licensed officiant and one witness make a real marriage; there is no Vegas loophole for undoing it.

What makes it legal

The Clark County license, a ceremony by a licensed officiant with at least one witness, and the certificate filed with the county recorder. That marriage is valid in all fifty states. Undoing it means a divorce, or an annulment on real grounds such as fraud or lack of consent, not a 48-hour cooling-off period.

For couples from abroad

• Where: both of you, in person, at the Marriage License Bureau at 201 East Clark Avenue Downtown, open 8 a.m. to midnight every day including holidays.
• ID: a valid passport.
• Requirements: no residency or citizenship rule, no blood test, no waiting period. Minimum age 18 (17 with a parent's consent and a court order).
• Cost: $102, plus a small processing charge by card; no personal checks.
• Time: pre-register online and it takes about 15 minutes at the counter. There are no appointments; the quiet hours are 8 to 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Getting it recognized at home

Most countries recognize a valid US marriage, but they want paperwork:

1. A certified copy of the certificate from the county recorder after the ceremony, about $20.
2. An apostille from the Nevada Secretary of State attached to it.
3. A translation if your country requires one, then registration with your civil registry or consulate.

A few countries add their own preconditions, such as a certificate of no impediment, so ask your consulate before you fly, not after.

Commemorative ceremonies are the other product the chapels sell: a vow renewal with no license is a party, not a marriage. For the real thing the license comes first, and the chapel will ask for it. How the day works is in how to get married in Las Vegas; costs in how much a Las Vegas wedding costs.