Marriage in Minnesota

To be legally married in Minnesota you have to apply for a marriage license. It doesn’t matter what MN county you get your license from as long as you get married in Minnesota. You have to be married by someone authorized to perform marriages. Then you get a marriage certificate that shows you are legally married.  

Since 2015, same sex marriage is legal in the United States. 

Are you a married or undocumented immigrant? You may need to know some other things. See our fact sheets Immigrants, Marriage and Divorce in Minnesota and Can Undocumented Immigrants Marry in Minnesota?  

To get married in Minnesota you apply for a marriage license. You can apply for a license in any county. You don’t have to apply in the county where you want to get married. Because each county is different, contact your local license center about where to apply for a marriage license. Check if your county has a general information line or do an internet search for your county and “license center” to find it.  

Many counties have application forms you can print out on their websites. Some also let you start the application process online. Check your county website.  

You have to go together to the license center to apply for a marriage license. If for some reason you can’t both go, ask the license center what you need to do to be able to apply for the license.  

The fee for a marriage license application is $115. If you take at least 12 hours of premarital education classes, the application fee is $40. You have to take a class from: 

Talk to your minister or look online for pre-marital counselors. Make sure you ask about cost before you sign up.  

You need proof that you did the classes. The person giving the classes should have the necessary forms or wording for a letter to show that you did the classes. The form or letter has to be notarized. Take it when you apply for your license.  

If either of you want to change any or all of your names, you can do that on your marriage license application. If you decide to do a name change after you are married, you have to do it through the courts.   

If you have a felony conviction in any state and you want to change your name when you marry, there is another form you have to do before you can get your marriage license. Check with the county attorney about the process and how to get the form. The county attorney has 30 days to object to your name change. So, make sure you do this at least 30 days before you plan to bring your marriage license application into the county.   

Your marriage license is valid for 6 months from the date on it. If you don’t get married within 6 months, you have to reapply. 

If you didn’t get married within the 6 months because of illness or some other big problem, you may not have to pay the fee again. Ask at the county.  

Besides having an authorized person perform the ceremony, you need to have 2 witnesses at the ceremony. The witnesses need to be at least 16 years old. They sign your marriage certificate to prove they were there.  

If your ceremony is being performed by a religious official, the ceremony must follow the traditions of your religion.  

If the ceremony is being performed by a judge, court administrator, or other non-religious individual, you must declare that you take the other person as your husband, wife, or spouse at some point in the ceremony.  

After your ceremony, the person who performed your ceremony has 5 days to send a certificate to the county where you applied for your license. The county records your marriage and sends you a certified copy of your marriage certificate.  

If you changed your name, you have to update all records with your name on them. This includes applying for a new social security card, telling your banks, employers, and getting a new driver’s license or state ID card.  You need to contact each of those offices to find out what to do.