marriage license Archives - Marriage Notary and Wedding Officiant

Richland County SC Probate Court Online Marriage License Applications Now Available

You can now apply for your marriage license online using the Richland County Probate Court portal. Click on the link below to apply.

Richland County Probate Court Marriage Application

To complete your application you will need to;

Upload pictures of your government ID
1. Picture Identification – Picture Identification may be one of the following:
  - Valid State Issued Driver’s License
  - Valid State Issued Identification Card
  - Valid Military Identification Card showing the name and the date of birth
  - Valid Passport
  *If you are not a United States Citizen, we must receive your Valid Passport and current VISA
Upload proof of SSN
1. Social Security Number may be one of the following:
  - Social Security Card
  - Tax Return (page 1) showing your name and your Social Security Number
  - W-2 or Tax Form showing your name and your Social Security Number
  *If you are not a United States Citizen, we must receive your Valid Passport and current VISA.
Pay the fee of $45.24 with a debit/credit card
Have a valid email address

You can take pictures of your documents with your smart phone or scan them if you have a scanner to upload the application website. The pictures or scans must be in one of the following formats; .gif, .jpeg, .pjpeg, .png, or .pdf.

You should receive your license (3 copies) within a week after applying in the mail. The marriage license will be mailed to the address of Party A. If the online application is not completed correctly, an email will be sent to Party A, for any additional information/documentation.

If you want to pick your marriage license up in person, AFTER THE 24 HOUR MANDATORY WAITING PERIOD, and not wait for the mail, call the Richland County Probate Court at 803-576-1961 the next business day after you submit your license application to arrange to come pick it up in person. If you do not call them it will be mailed.

For example, you file your application online Monday and it is acknowledged as received by Richland County at 1pm. Richland County will not process the marriage license application until after 1pm on Tuesday. Calling to pick it up does not shortcut the mandatory 24 hour waiting period.

DO NOT sign or fill out any copies of the license in any way once you receive them. You MUST sign in the presence of an officiant or notary public. The court does NOT perform marriages.

If you have any questions give us a call or text and we will try and help you with the process. Call 803-446-3405

Richland County SC Probate Court Now Open for Marriage Licenses at Limited Times

Richland County Marriage License Applications

The Richland County Probate Court will open beginning Tuesday, April 21 2020, for marriage license applications. The open periods are staggered between morning and afternoon, for only 2 days in the current week.

The applications are being taken in the lobby. You MUST wear a mask!

Visit their website for specific information.

Remember, you can also get your marriage license via mail from Lexington County and via virtual application from Charleston County. Visit our blog post here for specific information.

How Get Your Marriage License in SC While the Probate Courts are Closed

Get Your SC Marriage License During Court Shutdown

Its a terrible time right now isn’t it? Social distancing, virus scares, layoffs, even toilet paper shortages. But even so, some couples still want (or need) to get married! Nothing stands in the way of true love! Problem was you had to apply in person at the probate court, but the courts are closed and if they are closed that means no marriage license. Lucky for everyone though, several South Carolina probate courts have found a way to solve the problem. No matter where you are in SC you can use one of these services to get your marriage license and have it mailed to you. Now, you can apply by mail and the court will mail you a license. And no, you DO NOT have to be a resident of either of these counties or even the state of South Carolina. You can get your license from them and use it anywhere in South Carolina (but only in SC).

Charleston County Probate Court

Charleston County uses a virtual interview process. Just click on the link above, follow the directions, schedule an appointment, and pay the fee. Give us a call if you have any questions or when you are ready to get married after you have your license.

Lexington County Probate Court

Lexington County has found a way to solve this problem, at least for the short term during the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare.

How does it work? Go to this link here and download the marriage license application. It is a pdf file. Print it out.

Complete the application.
Include copies of both applicant’s Social Security cards (if you don’t have a SS card then any official document that has the name and SS number on it).
Include a copy of each applicants government issued picture ID.
Cash, check, or money order for $30.00
Indicate on the application which address you want the marriage license mailed to from the court.
Sign the application in front of a notary.
Mail the completed application, the documents, and the fee to;

LEXINGTON COUNTY PROBATE COURT
205 E. MAIN STREET, SUITE 134
LEXINGTON, SC 29072

And right now, the Marriage Notary is running a special to assist the court. Normally our basic fee for a small, simple ceremony is $90. But during this crisis,

We will meet with you and notarize the signatures on the application for you
After you receive your marriage license back from the court, we will meet with you again and sign the copies of the license
One of the copies you keep as your original certificate of marriage and we will file the other two copies with the court

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 803-446-3405

Good luck!

What is a Certified Copy of a Marriage License

What is a certified copy of your marriage license and do you need one?

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 a legal name change, for other legitimate purposes, or for genealogical research. A certified copy does not expire. Certified copies of your marriage license cannot be obtained until your license has been filed and accepted by the County Probate Court where you obtained your license. If you would like to request a certified copy of your marriage license from the County Probate Court, you have to complete a form and pay a fee, usually $5.

In South Carolina, when you get married you are given 3 originals of your marriage license. All have the court seal imprinted on them so they are originals. You are given one copy to keep and this original is usually sufficient for all your needs. However, if you have to send your marriage license off somewhere out of your possession, you should get a certified copy. You do not want your original to get lost.

You will usually need to wait one to two weeks to get a certified copy after your wedding, but it might take longer. Your wedding officiant has 15 days to send the other two completed copies of your marriage license back to the court for filing. It then takes the court a few days to actually file the license.

Remember, you are not married until you exchange vows (oaths) and the marriage licensed is signed by all parties and returned to the court.

Here are some links to the various courts to download the form you need to fill out to get a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

Richland County SC

Lexington County SC