requirements

Requirements For A Marriage License In South Carolina:

1.  Spouse and spouse must appear together and file a written application. This application contains the following information: both persons seeking the contract of matrimony are legally entitled to marry together with the full name of the persons, their ages and places of residence, their social security numbers, or the alien identification numbers assigned to resident aliens who do not have social security numbers. This is a sworn statement that must be signed by both contracting parties and notarized in the office of the Probate Judge in which the license is to be issued.
2.  There is a twenty-four hour waiting period after the application is filed before the license can be picked up and the parties can be married.
3. Applicants eighteen years old or older DO NOT NEED PARENTAL CONSENT. Applicants between eighteen and twenty-five years old must present one piece of identification. Identification may be one of the following:
   • Valid driver's license
   • Original birth certificate or a certified copy of the birth certificate
   • Valid S.C. identification card issued by the S.C. Highway Department
   • Current military identification card
   • A current passport
4. With parental consent, males and females must be at least sixteen years old to be eligible for a license. Any applicant under the age of eighteen years old must file an original birth certificate or a certified copy of the long form thereof, which becomes part of the permanent record of application. The parent or legal guardian of the minor applicant must appear at the same time as the minor to present identification and sign a form consenting to the marriage.
5. No blood test is required
6. No residency requirement
7. There is a $70.00 fee for the license. Payments can be made by cash or credit card (processing fee)
8. Only ministers of the Gospel or accepted Jewish rabbis and officers authorized to administer oaths in this State are authorized to administer a marriage ceremony in South Carolina.
9. A South Carolina marriage license is valid only for marriages performed in South Carolina.
10. If you completed a premarital preparation course, please provide the certificate of completion when applying for your marriage license.

Certified Copy Requests

What is a certified copy?

• You must have applied for your marriage license in Charleston County in order to request a certified copy from Charleston County.
• A certified copy of your marriage license is a copy of the Court’s license on record.
• It may be necessary to show a certified copy to the appropriate entities for legal name change or for other legitimation purposes.
• A certified copy does not expire.
• You cannot obtain a certified copy of your marriage license until after your ceremony has been performed and your license has been filed with the Charleston County Probate Court.

Marriage License Application

APPLICANTS MUST APPLY IN PERSON AT 100 BROAD STREET, SUITE 469. Both Applicants must be present together in order to apply for a marriage license electronically in our office. The application fee is $70.00 cash or credit. If you are under the age of 26, a valid photo ID is also required.

Please note: There is a mandatory twenty-four (24) hour waiting period between applying for a license and when the licenses are available to be picked up.

Contact

Probate Court Marriage License Division

Judicial Center
100 Broad Street, Suite 469
Charleston, SC 29401

Phone: (843)958-5183
Fax: (843)958-5191
Info: (843)958-5182

Portia Geathers
Marriage License Clerk
Phone: (843)958-5183
Email: PGeathers@charlestoncounty.org

Regina D. LeBlanc
Probate Clerk of Court Commitment Division
Phone: (843)958-5192
Email: rleblanc@charlestoncounty.org

Office Hours:

Mon. - Fri. 8:30am - 4:30pm

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