What you need to legally marry in Tennessee: a $97.50 to $104 fee, no waiting period, no witnesses and a license that is valid 30 days. You apply at the County Clerk.
The eight things the County Clerk will ask about or check. County rules can add small extras, so confirm with your local office before you go.
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A marriage license in Tennessee costs $97.50 to $104, varies by county, discounted by $60 with a 4-hour premarital preparation course completed within the past year. You pay it at the County Clerk when you apply. Extra certified copies of the marriage certificate, which you will want for a name change, a passport or insurance updates, often cost more.
That puts Tennessee inside the roughly $30 to $100 range most states charge. Accepted payment methods differ from office to office, so check before the visit.
Both partners need a valid government photo ID. If either of you was married before, bring the final divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate. Tennessee does not require proof of residency.
In most counties both of you go in person, and some offices ask you to fill in the form online or book an appointment first. Check which offices can issue your license before you drive anywhere.
Fill in the application and pay the $97.50 to $104, varies by county, discounted by $60 with a 4-hour premarital preparation course completed within the past year fee. Have both Social Security numbers ready (non-citizens can usually give a passport or visa number), plus your parents' full names and your places of birth.
Tennessee's rule: None for applicants 18 and older; 3-day wait for a minor applicant, waivable if a parent, guardian, or next of kin joins the application in person. Adults can use the license as soon as it is issued.
The license is valid for 30 days from the date of issue. The ceremony has to happen and the license has to be signed inside this window. An authorized officiant leads the ceremony, see who qualifies below.
After the ceremony the officiant and any required witnesses sign the license. It goes back to the County Clerk, often filed by the officiant, within the time Tennessee law allows. The county then records it and issues your marriage certificate.
A short walkthrough of the documents and the clerk visit. Fees and offices differ by state, so match the details to the Tennessee facts above.
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At 18 or older you can marry without anyone's permission.
Only a 17-year-old can marry, with parental consent, and the other party must be less than four years older. No one under 17 can marry in Tennessee.
Bring the final divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate to the first visit. Ask the County Clerk whether it needs a certified copy.
Tennessee has no residency requirement, so couples from other states can apply at the County Clerk with valid ID. The license only works for a ceremony inside Tennessee.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Tennessee, as in every state, since Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). The requirements are the same for every couple.
Foreign nationals can marry in Tennessee with a valid passport as photo ID. Marrying does not change immigration status by itself, and documents in another language may need certified translations.
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Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and authorized clergy. Judges and chancellors of any court, current and former state legislators who filed an opt-in notice, county mayors, municipal mayors, the governor, and notaries public.
Officiant rules in every stateTennessee's license fee is discounted by $60 for couples who complete a state-approved 4-hour premarital preparation course within a year of applying. There is no waiting period for applicants 18 or older; a 3-day wait applies only if either applicant is a minor, and it is waived if a parent, guardian, or next of kin appears in person with the application. No Tennessee statute requires witnesses, and county clerks do not ask for them; some license forms include optional witness signature lines, but the marriage is valid without them. Tennessee law (T.C.A. 36-3-301) still bars solemnization by an online-ordained minister on its face. The federal challenge (Universal Life Church Monastery Storehouse v. Nabors, M.D. Tenn.) ended in August 2023 with stipulations in which only the district attorneys for Rutherford, Hamilton and Putnam counties and the Putnam County clerk agreed not to prosecute or challenge Universal Life Church-officiated marriages, and the case was dismissed with prejudice. Those stipulations bind only those officials and the statute has not been repealed, so an online-ordained officiant remains a risky choice elsewhere in Tennessee.
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Fees, waiting period, validity, ID, witnesses and residency for Tennessee.
A Tennessee marriage license costs $97.50 to $104, varies by county, discounted by $60 with a 4-hour premarital preparation course completed within the past year. You pay it at the County Clerk. Certified copies of the marriage certificate, which you need for a name change, can cost extra. Payment methods differ by office, so call ahead to check whether it takes cash, card or check.
Not for adults. Tennessee's rule: None for applicants 18 and older; 3-day wait for a minor applicant, waivable if a parent, guardian, or next of kin joins the application in person.
A Tennessee marriage license is valid for 30 days from the date of issue. The ceremony has to happen inside this window, or you reapply and pay the fee again.
Each partner needs a valid government photo ID, such as a US passport, a driver's license or state ID card, a US military ID, a permanent resident card or a foreign passport. Bring it to the County Clerk, and check the office's own list before you go.
No. Tennessee does not legally require witnesses for the ceremony, though many couples have them anyway.
No. Tennessee does not require residency. Out-of-state couples can apply at the County Clerk with the required ID, and the license works for a ceremony anywhere in Tennessee.
