weddingWhat you need to legally marry in West Virginia: a $57 fee, no waiting period, no witnesses and a license that is valid 60 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 West Virginia costs $57 (reduced to $37 with a signed certificate of a 4-hour premarital education course completed within the prior 12 months). 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 West Virginia 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. West Virginia 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 $57 (reduced to $37 with a signed certificate of a 4-hour premarital education course completed within the prior 12 months) 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.
West Virginia has no waiting period, so you can marry as soon as the license is in your hands. Most couples still apply a few days ahead.
The license is valid for 60 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia facts above.
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At 18 or older you can marry without anyone's permission.
Applicants who are 16 or 17 need consent from a parent or guardian, and the other party can be no more than four years older. No one under 16 can marry in West Virginia.
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.
West Virginia 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 West Virginia.
Same-sex marriage is legal in West Virginia, as in every state, since Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). The requirements are the same for every couple.
Foreign nationals can marry in West Virginia 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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Religious representatives registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State, including ministers, priests, and rabbis. Family court judges, circuit judges, and justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Officiant rules in every stateWest Virginia has no waiting period; a former 2-day wait for applicants under 18 was repealed by HB 3018 (2023). Both minimumAge and minimumAgeWithConsent reflect HB 3018's rewrite of the age-of-consent statute (W. Va. Code 48-2-301): a 16 or 17 year old needs written consent from the applicant and parent(s) or guardian(s), and the other party cannot be more than 4 years older; the prior circuit-judge-order pathway for under-16 applicants no longer exists. County clerks issue and record licenses but are not authorized to officiate ceremonies themselves. West Virginia bars common law marriage from forming in-state (W. Va. Code 48-2-301, 48-5-707(b)), but recognizes a common law marriage validly formed in another state that permits it.
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Fees, waiting period, validity, ID, witnesses and residency for West Virginia.
A West Virginia marriage license costs $57 (reduced to $37 with a signed certificate of a 4-hour premarital education course completed within the prior 12 months). 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.
No. West Virginia has no waiting period, so you can apply for and use your marriage license on the same day. Many couples still apply a few days ahead to avoid last-minute stress.
A West Virginia marriage license is valid for 60 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. West Virginia does not legally require witnesses for the ceremony, though many couples have them anyway.
No. West Virginia 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 West Virginia.
