How Many Times Can You Get Married?
There is no legal limit on how many times you can get married in the United States. The only rule that matters: each previous marriage must be legally over, by divorce, annulment, or the death of a spouse, before you marry again.
Share Your Wedding Photos FreeThe Short Answer
Marry as many times as you like. Nothing in federal law or any state's family code sets a maximum. What the law does require, in all 50 states, is that you hold only one legal spouse at a time. Marrying a second person while still legally married to another is bigamy, a criminal offense everywhere in the country (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute). Get the sequencing right, divorce or annulment or a spouse's death before the next wedding, and there is nothing stopping you from doing this as many times as your life takes you.
Does Your State Make You Wait Before Remarrying?
Most states let you remarry the moment your divorce is final, no extra waiting required. A handful of states are the exception and restrict how soon a divorced person can marry someone new. Two commonly cited examples:
Texas: 30 days
Texas restricts either former spouse from marrying anyone other than each other for 30 days after the divorce is granted, unless a court waives it (Tex. Fam. Code § 6.801).
Nebraska: 6 months
Nebraska imposes a 6-month restriction on either party remarrying after a divorce decree (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 42-372).
These two are called out because they are the most frequently cited examples, not because they are the only states with a rule. Requirements change, so confirm the current rule with your county clerk or a family law attorney in your state before setting a wedding date.
Myth vs Fact: What People Get Wrong About Remarriage
Most confusion about "how many times can you get married" comes from mixing up the number of marriages, which is unlimited, with the legal status of each one, which is strictly regulated. Here is where the myths break down.
Myth: There is a legal cap, like five or seven marriages, in some states.
Fact: No US state sets a maximum number of marriages a person can have over a lifetime. The rule is sequential, not numerical: legally end one marriage before starting the next. (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: Marriage)
Myth: An annulment and a divorce are basically the same form with a different name.
Fact: A divorce ends a valid marriage going forward. An annulment declares the marriage was never legally valid, so its effect reaches back to the wedding date itself. (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: Annulment)
Myth: A common-law relationship does not count, so I do not need to divorce that partner before remarrying.
Fact: In states that recognize it, a common-law marriage is a real, legally binding marriage. It has to be ended through divorce like any other marriage before you can remarry. (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute, Wex: Common Law Marriage)
Myth: Bigamy only counts if you are actually living with two spouses at once.
Fact: In several states, simply purporting to marry, or holding a wedding ceremony, while still legally married to someone else is enough to violate the bigamy statute. Cohabitation is not always required. (Cal. Penal Code § 281 (bigamy))
Myth: If my old divorce paperwork got lost, no one will ever know and it does not matter.
Fact: Marrying without being able to show your prior marriage legally ended is exactly the fact pattern that turns into an accidental bigamy charge. Courts and clerks can and do check. (Tex. Penal Code § 25.01 (bigamy))
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Bigamy: The One Rule That Actually Limits Marriage
While no state caps the number of sequential marriages, holding two or more legal spouses at once is a serious crime everywhere in the US. Two examples, from two different states, show how specific and consistent this rule is. In California, "every person having a spouse living, who marries or enters into a registered domestic partnership with any other person" is guilty of bigamy, chargeable as a misdemeanor or felony (Cal. Penal Code § 281, amended 2016, effective 2017). In Texas, a person who is already married commits bigamy by purporting to marry another person, or by living with them "under the appearance of being married," and the offense is a third-degree felony, enhanced further if the other party is a minor (Tex. Penal Code § 25.01, last amended 2011). Exact classifications and penalties vary by state, so confirm the current statute where you live.
Bigamy
Marrying someone while already legally married to another person. Criminal in all 50 states. The second marriage is void.
Polygamy
The practice of having multiple spouses simultaneously. Broader than bigamy and also illegal in every US state.
Serial Monogamy
Having only one legal spouse at a time, but marrying multiple times over a lifetime. Fully legal in the US with no upper limit.
Important: Accidental bigamy can occur if a divorce was never finalized properly, if paperwork was filed incorrectly, or if a spouse remarried believing an ex was deceased without legal confirmation. Both the California and Texas statutes above allow a defense if you reasonably believed the prior marriage had ended, but proving that belief is far easier with paperwork in hand. If you have any doubt, verify the divorce decree with the county clerk before planning a new wedding.
Annulment vs Divorce: Two Different Ways a Marriage Ends
Both a divorce and an annulment legally free you to remarry, but they work differently, and mixing them up can create confusion when a county clerk asks how your last marriage ended. Under Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, the effect of declaring a marriage void through annulment "is retroactive, meaning that the marriage was void at the time it was entered into," unlike a divorce, which ends a marriage that was valid (Cornell LII, Wex: Annulment).
Divorce
Ends a marriage that was legally valid. Takes effect going forward from the date the court enters the final decree. The marriage is treated as having existed until that point, which is why anniversaries, joint tax filings, and years-of-marriage figures still count.
Annulment
Declares a marriage never legally existed in the first place. The effect reaches back to the wedding date. Grounds, such as fraud, bigamy, or lack of legal capacity, and any filing deadlines vary considerably by state, so check your state's family code or a family law attorney.
The Common-Law Marriage Wrinkle
Most people assume "married" means a license and a ceremony. A small number of states, Texas and Colorado among them, still let couples form a legally valid marriage without either, if they meet that state's test for agreeing to be married and presenting themselves as spouses. Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute defines common-law marriage as "a marriage without formal solemnization or without formalities such as a marriage license or ceremony," and notes that while most states have abolished the practice going forward, "all states recognize common-law marriages from other states" under the Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause (Cornell LII, Wex: Common Law Marriage).
The practical wrinkle: if you were common-law married at any point, even years ago and even in a state that no longer creates new common-law marriages, that relationship is a real marriage in the eyes of the law. It has to be legally ended, through divorce like any other marriage, before you remarry. Because the list of states that still recognize new common-law marriages changes as legislatures act, confirm current status with your state's family code rather than relying on general assumptions.
Proving You're Free to Remarry: What County Clerks Ask For
When you apply for a new marriage license, the clerk needs to confirm you are not still legally married to someone else. In practice, that usually means a certified copy of your final divorce decree, or a certified death certificate if a former spouse died, particularly if that divorce or death happened recently. Some counties waive the documentation requirement if enough time has passed and you can simply state the date and manner your last marriage ended; others require paperwork any time a divorce or death occurred within the last several months.
If your last marriage ended in divorce
Bring a certified copy of the final divorce decree. Some counties only require it if the divorce was finalized within a recent window; others ask every time. Document requirements and any waiting period vary by state, so check your county clerk before your appointment.
If your last marriage ended in death
Bring a certified copy of the death certificate. Some clerks require this only for recent deaths. Requirements vary by state and county, so confirm directly with your county clerk's office.
If your last marriage ended in annulment
Bring a certified copy of the annulment decree or judgment. Because annulment treats the marriage as never legally valid, clerks still want documentation showing the court made that ruling. Varies by state, check your county clerk.
Which Path Applies to You?
Three situations cover most people asking this question. Find yours below to see what "legally ended" looks like in your case.
You are divorced
Your marriage was legally valid and a court ended it. Proof is your final divorce decree. You are free to remarry as soon as the decree is final and any state-specific waiting period, where one applies, has passed. Confirm the waiting period with your state court, since it varies.
Your spouse died
Your marriage ended automatically at the moment of death; no court filing is required to end it. Proof is a certified death certificate. Some counties only ask for it if the death was recent.
Your marriage was annulled
A court ruled the marriage was never legally valid. Proof is the annulment judgment. Because the ruling is retroactive, you are treated, for remarriage purposes, as though that marriage never legally existed, though you still typically need to show the clerk the judgment.
You were in a common-law marriage
If your state recognized it as a legal marriage, or if it was validly formed in a state that did, it must be ended the same way any marriage ends: divorce, annulment, or death. There is often no marriage certificate to point to, which makes clean paperwork on the divorce end even more important.
Before You Remarry: A Practical Timeline
As soon as you start planning
Confirm your prior divorce, annulment, or death certificate is legally documented and that you can locate a certified copy. Request one from the issuing county or state vital records office if you cannot find it.
3 to 6 months before the wedding
Consult a family law attorney about a prenuptial agreement if assets, children from a prior relationship, or support obligations are involved. Start reviewing your will and beneficiary designations.
1 to 3 months before
Apply for the marriage license in your county. Confirm whether your state has a waiting period after a recent divorce and whether your county requires certified documentation of how your last marriage ended.
After the wedding
File name-change paperwork if applicable. Notify Social Security, your employer, and insurance carriers. Update joint accounts, titles, deeds, and beneficiary designations to reflect the new marriage.
Glossary: Remarriage Terms in Plain English
A quick reference for the terms that come up whenever this question does.
Bigamy
Marrying a new person while still legally married to someone else. A crime in every US state; the second marriage is legally void. source
Polygamy
The practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Broader than bigamy and also illegal in every US state.
Serial monogamy
Having only one legal spouse at a time, but marrying more than once over a lifetime. Fully legal, with no upper limit, in the United States.
Divorce
The legal process that ends a valid marriage. It operates going forward from the date the court enters the final decree.
Annulment
A court ruling that a marriage was never legally valid. Its effect is retroactive, treating the marriage as if it never legally existed. source
Common-law marriage
A legally valid marriage formed without a license or ceremony, recognized in a small number of states. Every state recognizes a valid common-law marriage formed elsewhere. source
Void marriage
A marriage that was never legally valid at all, such as a bigamous marriage, and needs no formal divorce to end.
Voidable marriage
A marriage that is legally valid unless and until a court annuls it, for example on grounds like fraud or incapacity that vary by state.
Full Faith and Credit
The constitutional principle requiring every state to honor a marriage, divorce, or annulment that was legally valid in the state where it happened. source
Divorce decree
The official court document finalizing a divorce. Certified copies are typically what a county clerk asks for as proof a prior marriage has ended.
Waiting period
A mandatory gap some states require, either after a divorce before remarrying, or between applying for and receiving a marriage license. Length and existence vary by state.
Marriage license
The government-issued authorization required before a wedding ceremony can be legally recognized. Issued by a county or state office.
Remarriage in Numbers
Context from Pew Research and US Census Bureau data on remarriage patterns, separate from the legal rules above.
40%
of new US marriages involve a previously married partner
~67%
second marriage divorce rate vs. ~50% for first marriages
4-5 yrs
median time to remarry after divorce for those who do
20%
of marriages are second marriages for both partners
Record Holders: How Far People Have Taken It
Serial marriage has produced some genuinely remarkable, and cautionary, examples. These are shared not to glamorize multiple marriages but because they show just how few legal constraints exist once each marriage is properly dissolved.
Guinness World Record (most marriages, man)
Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe of Blythe, California, was married 29 times before his death in 1997. Each marriage was legally documented, and he held the Guinness World Record for most monogamous marriages by any person.
Guinness World Record (most marriages, woman)
Linda Essex-Wolfe of Indiana was married 23 times. She and Glynn Wolfe were briefly married to each other, making them both record holders at once for a short period.
Historical royal example
Henry VIII of England is the most famous historical case of serial marriage, married 6 times. He relied on annulments, and in one case an execution, and eventually broke with the Catholic Church partly to secure his remarriages.
Financial and Estate Planning: What Multiple Marriages Change
The legal rules above are only half the picture. Each marriage and divorce creates obligations that compound, which is why financial and estate planning matter more with every subsequent marriage.
Prenuptial Agreements
Increasingly common for second and later marriages. A prenup can clarify what happens to property, retirement accounts, and business interests brought into the marriage. Courts generally uphold prenups signed voluntarily, with full financial disclosure and independent legal advice for both parties.
Blended Family Inheritance
Children from prior marriages have inheritance interests that can conflict with a new spouse's rights. Without an updated will and trust, assets can pass in ways you did not intend. A common solution is a trust that provides for a current spouse for life and then passes to children from prior relationships.
Social Security Survivor Benefits
Remarrying before age 60 can affect eligibility for Social Security survivor benefits tied to a deceased former spouse's record. Rules and thresholds are set by federal regulation and can change, so confirm current rules directly with the Social Security Administration before remarrying if benefits are involved.
Spousal Support Obligations
Alimony from a prior marriage often terminates when the receiving spouse remarries, but this depends entirely on the specific divorce agreement or court order. If you are paying alimony, your own remarriage generally does not end that obligation unless the agreement says so.
Religious Rules Are a Separate Question From Civil Law
Civil law and religious law operate independently. You may be legally free to remarry while your faith tradition restricts it, or the reverse. This is general context on common traditions, not a substitute for guidance from clergy in your own tradition.
Roman Catholicism
The Church does not recognize civil divorce on its own. To remarry in a Catholic ceremony, the prior marriage generally must be annulled by a Church tribunal, a separate process from a civil annulment.
Protestant Christianity
Rules vary widely by denomination and by individual church. Many mainline Protestant churches permit remarriage after divorce, often after a pastoral conversation. Some traditions are more restrictive.
Judaism
Jewish law traditionally requires a get, a religious divorce document, in addition to a civil divorce, particularly in Orthodox and Conservative practice. Civil remarriage rights are unaffected either way.
Islam
Islamic law includes its own framework for marriage and remarriage, including a waiting period after divorce or widowhood before a woman may remarry. In the US, civil marriage law still governs legal recognition.
Related Marriage Guides
Why This Question Comes Up So Often
People ask "how many times can you get married" for a lot of reasons: they are planning a second or third wedding, they are curious after hearing about a relative with several marriages, or they are trying to understand what stops someone from having two spouses at once. The honest answer disappoints trivia hunters and reassures everyone else: the number of times is not the legal question at all. The legal question is always whether your previous marriage is actually over.
That single distinction, ended versus not ended, is what separates a perfectly legal fourth marriage from a felony. It is also the piece of the process that trips people up when paperwork gets lost, a divorce was never finalized, or a common-law relationship was never formally dissolved.
What to Do Before You Assume You Are Free to Remarry
If any doubt exists about whether a prior marriage legally ended, resolve it before applying for a new marriage license. Request a certified copy of the divorce decree or death certificate from the county or state vital records office where it was issued. If you lived with a partner for years in a state that recognizes common-law marriage, treat that relationship as a marriage for legal purposes unless you have confirmed otherwise with a family law attorney.
None of this has to be stressful. It is a paperwork question with a paperwork answer, and county clerks handle it every day. The goal is simply to walk into your marriage license appointment with proof in hand instead of an assumption.
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Remarriage and Marriage Limits: FAQs
Everything you need to know about our free tools and how they help your wedding day.
No. No federal law and no state law caps the number of times a person can marry over a lifetime. The only requirement is that each previous marriage must be legally over, through divorce, annulment, or the death of a spouse, before you enter a new one. You can only have one legal spouse at a time.
Bigamy is marrying a new person while still legally married to someone else. It is a criminal offense in all 50 US states, typically charged as a felony, and the second marriage is legally void. Some states also punish knowingly marrying someone who is already married. Penalties and exact definitions vary by state, so check your state penal code or a family law attorney for specifics.
Bigamy is marrying a second person without legally ending the first marriage. Polygamy is the broader practice of having multiple spouses at once, often tied to a religious or cultural tradition. Both involve having more than one legal spouse simultaneously and both are illegal in every US state.
A divorce ends a marriage that was legally valid; it applies going forward from the date of the decree. An annulment declares that the marriage was never legally valid in the first place, so its effect is retroactive, as if the marriage never happened. Grounds and time limits for annulment vary significantly by state, so confirm the current rules with your state court or a family law attorney.
Yes, where it applies. A handful of states still let couples enter a legally valid common-law marriage without a license or ceremony, and every state recognizes a common-law marriage that was validly formed in another state. If you were common-law married, that marriage has to be dissolved through divorce or ended by death, just like a ceremonial marriage, before you can legally remarry.
County clerks generally want proof that your last marriage is over, typically a certified copy of the final divorce decree or a certified death certificate, especially if the marriage ended recently. Exact document and waiting-period requirements vary by state and even by county, so confirm with the specific county clerk where you plan to apply for your marriage license.