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.

Online Certified Copy of Marriage License Request Form

Online Marriage License Application

(LOVE) Live Online Virtual E-Application

How to Apply Online

The Charleston County Probate Court can assist couples who are getting married within the next 30 days (and will be extended if needed) during the pandemic.

1. APPLY at link below.
2. MAKE PAYMENT at link below - The cost is seventy dollars ($70) by credit card plus a transaction fee of one dollar.
3. BOOK APPOINTMENT at link below.

Preparing for Your Appointment

The application page will be emailed to the couple applying the day of the appointment and must be printed prior to your FaceTime or Zoom virtual meeting.

A staff member of the Probate Court will witness the couple signing at their scheduled appointment time. Both Applicants will sign with blue ink on their corresponding applicant lines with their social security numbers below. Please have your IDs (list below).

Once signed, please email the application to the court immediately after the FaceTime or Zoom virtual meeting along with a copy of your IDs. Your original signed application must be returned to the Probate Court at: 100 Broad Street, Suite 469, Charleston, SC 29401. The license will not be released until the signed application and IDs are received.

As mandated by South Carolina law, there is a twenty-four hour waiting period after the application is filed before the license is released. Once that period has elapsed, you will be emailed the Marriage License for you to print and use along with an instruction sheet that explains what to do. Following your wedding, you will be responsible for returning the signed copies labeled PROBATE JUDGE and PROBATE JUDGE/DHEC COPY to the Probate Court via mail or in person once the court reopens.

All applicants must present and provide a copy of 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

For further questions, please call Portia Geathers at (843)958-5183, Regina LeBlanc at (843)277-5674 or Judge Irv Condon at (843)817-2039.

Marriage License Online Application

Marriage License Appointment Booking

Marriage License Payment

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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Requisitos para la Licencia de Matrimonio

Licencia de Matrimonio