Las Vegas Wedding Marriage License: Cost, ID and Steps

A marriage license is the one piece of paper that makes a Las Vegas ceremony a legal wedding. The Clark County Clerk, the county office that issues it, sets the rules. Here is the whole path in order.

Step 1: Check who can get a Las Vegas marriage license

You can get a license if you are 18 or older, not currently married, and able to show government photo ID. The Clark County Clerk's requirements page also says you may not be closer kin than second cousins. The one age exception is a 17-year-old who lives in Clark County. That person needs a court order from a Nevada District Court judge.

Nevada does not ask for a blood test, and there is no waiting period. A foreign passport or a foreign government ID with a date of birth works as proof of name and age.

Marriage records in Nevada are public. The clerk says they cannot be made confidential or sealed.

Step 2: Fill in the online application before you go

Fill in the county's online application first, because it stays in the system for one year. The license itself also expires one year after the day it is issued, per the Clerk, and the ceremony must take place in Nevada with an officiant licensed in Nevada. Each of you answers the same questions, including your marital status and your parents' full names at birth.

Type your name exactly as it appears on your ID. The county writes the license and the certificate in the name shown on the ID you present. If you want your full middle name on the paper, your ID must show the full middle name, not an initial. A US citizen with a Social Security number must enter it.

Married before? Count every earlier marriage, including annulments, and add one. Mistakes can be fixed at the counter.

Pro Tip Compare the application with your passport letter by letter. A middle initial on your ID means an initial on your license, and a fix later can cost up to $79.50.

Step 3: Pack the right ID and a card for the $102 fee

Bring original government photo ID for each of you and a credit or debit card. The Clerk accepts a passport, a driver license, a state ID card, a foreign government ID with a date of birth, a military ID, a permanent resident card and a few more. Copies and phone photos are not accepted.

The license costs $102, and the county fee schedule lists what comes after it.

Checks and money orders are not accepted for the license, so bring a card. Not on the list? Call and ask a supervisor what to bring.

Key Takeaway Budget about $105 at the counter: the $102 license plus a card fee of 2% plus $1.25, which is roughly $3.30 on $102.

Step 4: Pick up your Las Vegas wedding marriage license together

Both of you must stand at the counter at the same time, and the office is open every day. The Marriage License Bureau is at 201 E. Clark Avenue in Las Vegas, from 8 a.m. to midnight, 365 days a year, including holidays. It does not take appointments. Issuing the paperwork takes about 15 minutes, per the Clerk.

The bureau is always busy. Sundays and Tuesdays are the least busy days, per the Clerk, and the quietest times are 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight.

When one of you cannot come, the Clerk has two narrow exceptions. They apply to a hospitalized applicant or an incarcerated applicant and need a signed affidavit form. An ordinary travel delay does not count.

Solicitors stand outside the bureau and hand out chapel flyers. They work for commercial chapels and are not part of the Clerk's office. Ask for a bill with all fees and tips before you agree to anything.

Step 5: Book the ceremony and get proof of marriage

You can marry the same day, and your officiant must be authorized by the county. Nevada has no waiting period, so many couples get the license and go straight to the ceremony. A wedding chapel in Las Vegas is the usual next booking, and the weddings page compares chapels and packages in more detail.

Many chapels take walk-ins, but popular dates and holidays fill up early. The county Clerk also runs civil ceremonies at the Office of Civil Marriages, 330 S. 3rd Street. They cost $75 plus a $2.75 card fee ($77.75), need an appointment booked online and require a witness.

Is a package worth it? On your own, the license and the $75 county ceremony come to about $180 and take a few hours, but you find the chapel, officiant and ride yourself. A package costs more, from €295 per group of up to two, and in return it bundles the ceremony, an officiant and a limousine from your hotel, so nobody drives or parks. Pick it if you want one booking and a set time. Three private ones on GetYourGuide include a limousine. The drive-up wedding with a limousine, from €295 per group of up to two, rates 4.3 from 87 reviews and runs about 3 hours. The listing excludes the $60 minister's fee in cash, the driver tip and the license. The Elvis wedding with limousine, from €490 per group of up to two, rates 5.0 from 25 reviews. It takes 2 hours at The Little Vegas Chapel, and the listing excludes the $100 officiant fee and the $102 license. The wedding with limousine transportation, from €445 per group of up to two, rates 4.8 from 15 reviews. It suits a wedding or a vow renewal, and it is not suitable for children under 18. The listings do not publish group size beyond the couple, and the chapel meeting point is confirmed after booking. All three list free cancellation up to 24 hours before, as the listings state. Read the terms on the listing before you pay.

Things to Do in Las Vegas's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 4 wedding packages in Las Vegas, from €295 to €1,205, with a middle price of €468. Three are priced per group of up to two, and the helicopter package is priced per person.

A wedding is legal because of the paper you sign, not because of the venue you pick.

After the ceremony your officiant has 10 calendar days to file the certificate with the county. Once it is filed, you can order proof of marriage, and a certified copy costs $20. Your record sits only with the County Clerk who issued the license, so search there. You also need that certified copy to change your name, because Nevada does not let you pick a new married name on the license.

Per the Clerk, a Las Vegas marriage is legally binding across the United States and in most countries. Living abroad? Ask your own government whether it recognizes a US marriage, and ask about an apostille. The Nevada Secretary of State issues that, and it needs a certified copy first.

A package is the wrong choice if you want the lowest cost, or if you plan a larger wedding. The limousines in these listings seat six, and the ceremonies are private.

The county's own checklist on Weddings.Vegas lists the same order: apply online, bring ID and $102, collect the license, then hold the ceremony.