Illinois Marriage License Requirements 2026: Fees, 1-Day Wait

In Illinois, the county clerk issues marriage licenses, and both of you must appear before the clerk to get one (750 ILCS 5/203). Under section 207 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, the license takes effect one day after it is issued, lasts 60 days, and is effective in the county where it was issued. Each county board sets the fee, up to $75 under the Counties Code: $32 to $60 at the four county clerks checked for this page.

That county rule is the detail most couples miss. The clerks in Cook, DuPage and Kane counties all say their license is good only for a ceremony in their own county, so apply in the county where the wedding will take place. For other states, see our guide to marriage license requirements by state.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers getting a marriage license and marrying in Illinois under Part II of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/201 to 5/221) and the license-fee section of the Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/4-4001), with procedures from the Cook, DuPage, Lake and Kane county clerks. It does not cover divorce, ordering older marriage records, or other states' rules. For informal marriage, see Illinois common-law marriage.

Where to Get a Marriage License in Illinois

The county clerk issues the license. Section 203 says the clerk issues it only after "both parties have appeared before the county clerk," so neither of you can pick it up alone.

Some clerks let you start online. Cook, DuPage and Kane counties offer an online pre-application, but you still go to the clerk's office together to sign. Kane County does not offer the online application to applicants under 18. In Cook County, the license is issued while you wait.

The license works only in the issuing county

Section 207 says the license "becomes effective in the county where it was issued." The county clerks put it plainly:

• Cook County: "Valid only for ceremonies performed in Chicago and suburban Cook County."
• DuPage County: "valid for 60 days, only for use in DuPage County."
• Kane County: "effective only in Kane County."

So a couple living in Chicago who plan a wedding at a venue in Lake County should get the license from the Lake County Clerk, not Cook. Sections 207 and 209(b)(2) contain a savings rule: a marriage solemnized in another Illinois county by mistake is not invalidated for that reason. Treat that as a safety net, not a plan.

Watch out: if you are not sure which county your venue is in, check before you apply. A license from the wrong county is exactly the error the savings clause exists to catch, and you do not want to rely on it.

What to Bring and What the Application Asks

Section 202(a) lists what the application form collects, including each party's "name, sex, occupation, address, social security number, date and place of birth." The form also asks about any prior marriage, your parents' names and addresses, and whether you are related to each other. If one of you does not have a Social Security number, ask the clerk before you go.

The Lake and DuPage clerks ask each applicant for valid photo ID that shows age:

• a driver's license or state ID card,
• a passport, or
• a military ID.

Without one of those, those clerks accept two other documents, such as a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, foreign passport, resident card or consulate ID. DuPage also asks applicants who are 18 to bring a certified copy of their birth certificate along with photo ID.

If a prior marriage or civil union ended within the last six months, the Cook, Lake and DuPage clerks require a certified copy of the divorce decree (Lake also accepts an invalidity record). DuPage also requires a certified death record if the earlier marriage ended by death in that time. Bring it with you.

The conditions section 203 sets for issuing a license do not include Illinois residency, so couples from other states apply the same way. Illinois repealed its old rule barring out-of-state couples whose marriage would be void in their home state (750 ILCS 5/217 to 5/219) effective January 1, 2024 (Public Act 103-21), though the Kane County Clerk page still describes it. Confirm any document question with the clerk of the county where you will marry.

How Much an Illinois Marriage License Costs

There is no single statewide price. Under 55 ILCS 5/4-4001, the county board sets the fee for counties of the first and second class, "not to exceed $75," and the same fee applies to a marriage license and a civil union license. Five dollars of each fee goes to the state's Domestic Violence Fund. In counties of the third class (over 1,000,000 people, which includes Cook), 55 ILCS 5/4-12003 sets the same rule: a county-board fee not to exceed $75, with $5 to the Domestic Violence Fund.

Here is what four of the largest county clerks charged when we checked their official pages in October 2026:

The county clerk's own page is the final word, and fees change. Will County's official clerk pages could not be opened for this update, so check its fee directly with the Will County Clerk. Older news stories can carry outdated fees, including for Kane County, so rely on the clerk's current page.

Cook County also sells a commemorative certificate for $65. It is a keepsake, not the certified copy you use for name changes or benefits.

Waiting Period and How Long the License Lasts

Illinois has a one-day wait. Section 207 says the license "becomes effective in the county where it was issued one day after the date of issuance, unless the court orders that the license is effective when issued." So a license issued on a Friday can be used for a ceremony on Saturday.

The clerk cannot shorten that. DuPage County states its clerk cannot waive the one-day wait; only a court order makes the license effective the day it is issued.

The license then "expires 60 days after it becomes effective" (750 ILCS 5/207). The Lake County Clerk phrases it from the couple's side: "A license must be obtained at least one day before the ceremony and is valid for 60 days beginning the day after it is issued." The Cook County Clerk warns that a ceremony held after the license expires is not valid, and its page counts the 60 days from the date of issuance, so in Cook plan the ceremony within 60 days of the day you get the license. If your date slips past the 60 days, apply again.

Age Requirements and Marriage Under 18

Section 203(1) requires that each party "will have attained the age of 18 years at the time the marriage license is effective or will have attained the age of 16 years and has either the consent to the marriage of both parents or his guardian or judicial approval." That sentence is the whole age rule:

• 18 or older: no consent needed.
• 16 or 17: the consent of both parents or a guardian, or judicial approval.
• Under 16: section 203 provides no route to a license.

If one parent cannot be located, the consent of the other parent plus an affidavit describing diligent efforts to find the missing parent counts as the consent of both.

Judicial approval comes under 750 ILCS 5/208. The court must find that the minor is capable of assuming the responsibilities of marriage and that the marriage will serve the minor's best interest. Section 208 states that pregnancy alone does not establish best interest.

At the clerk's office, Cook County requires both parents or the guardian to appear in person with ID and give sworn consent, and the applicant to bring a certified birth certificate and a second ID showing date of birth. For how a minor can gain adult legal status in other ways, see Illinois emancipation laws.

Pending: HB 1744 would end marriage under 18

House Bill 1744 in the 104th General Assembly would end marriage under 18 in Illinois by requiring proof that each party is 18 under section 203 and repealing section 208. It was referred to the House Rules Committee on January 28, 2025, and the official bill-status page shows no later action. It is pending, not law. Until a change is enacted, the consent and judicial-approval routes above remain in the statute.

Who Cannot Marry in Illinois

Section 212(a) prohibits these marriages:

• a marriage entered into before either party's earlier marriage, civil union or substantially similar relationship is dissolved (a couple converting their own civil union to a marriage is the exception),
• between an ancestor and a descendant,
• between siblings, whether of the whole or half blood or by adoption,
• between an uncle and a niece or nephew, or an aunt and a niece or nephew.

First cousins are a special case. Section 212(a)(4) bars "a marriage between cousins of the first degree; however, a marriage between first cousins is not prohibited if: (i) both parties are 50 years of age or older," or if one party presents a physician's certificate stating that party is permanently and irreversibly sterile. That certificate is filed with the clerk of the county where the marriage will be solemnized.

Same-sex couples marry on the same terms. Section 201 defines marriage as between "2 persons," following Public Act 98-597, effective June 1, 2014.

Blood Tests and Health Brochures

None of the county clerk pages checked for this page lists a blood test or medical certificate as a requirement. Instead, section 204 requires the clerk to "distribute free of charge, to all persons applying for a marriage license, a brochure" about sexually transmitted diseases and inherited metabolic diseases, and section 203 requires a fetal alcohol syndrome pamphlet with each license.

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

Section 209(a) lists who may solemnize a marriage in Illinois:

• a judge of a court of record, a retired judge (who may not be paid by the State, a county or a local government for it), or a judge of the Court of Claims,
• the county clerk in counties of 2,000,000 or more people,
• a public official whose powers include solemnizing marriages,
• a mayor or village president (who may not accept compensation), or
• an officiant acting "in accordance with the prescriptions of any religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group, provided that when such prescriptions require an officiant, the officiant be in good standing."

No registration. The Cook County Clerk states: "Wedding officiants in Illinois are not required to register with any government office prior to performing a marriage."

Online ordination. Section 209 does not mention it. Whether an officiant qualifies turns on the prescriptions of the religious denomination involved, and no Illinois official source we opened addresses online ordination directly. If your officiant was ordained online, ask the county clerk.

A mistaken officiant does not void the marriage. Under section 209, a marriage is not invalidated because the officiant was not legally qualified, if a reasonable person would have believed the officiant was qualified.

Witnesses. The Kane County Clerk states: "Witnesses are not required by Illinois law."

Marrying without an officiant. Where the couple's religious practice has no individual acting alone to solemnize the marriage, section 209(a) has both parties complete the marriage certificate themselves.

Courthouse weddings. In Cook County, a Cook County judge can marry you at the Marriage and Civil Union Court at 119 W. Randolph St., according to the Clerk. DuPage and Kane counties hold civil ceremonies by appointment, and DuPage asks couples to book the ceremony before getting the license. Ceremony fees were not confirmed for this page; check with the clerk.

Proxy Marriage

Illinois requires both parties to appear before the county clerk to get the license (750 ILCS 5/203), so neither of you can obtain it on the other's behalf. We did not find an Illinois statute addressing proxy ceremonies. Anyone considering one should ask the county clerk or a lawyer licensed in Illinois.

After the Ceremony: Returning the License and Getting Copies

Section 209(a) requires the officiant to complete the marriage certificate and "forward it to the county clerk within 10 days after such marriage is solemnized." If no individual officiated alone, both of you complete and return it. Cook County accepts the completed license by mail or in person within those 10 days.

The clerk registers the certificate and sends the record to the Illinois Department of Public Health within 45 days after the end of the month (750 ILCS 5/210). Section 215 makes a violation of Part II of the Act a Class B misdemeanor; it is a general penalty clause, not one written specifically for late returns.

Certified copies come from the county clerk that issued the license. Cook charges $15 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time; Lake charges $10 and $4 for additional copies bought together. For ordering copies later, see Illinois marriage and divorce records and our guide on how to get a copy of your marriage certificate.

Changing your name. Section 221 requires the county clerk to "issue a new marriage certificate when it receives legal documentation indicating that one of the parties listed on the certificate has legally changed names." For the name-change process itself, see changing your name after marriage and Illinois name change laws.

Common Myths About Illinois Marriage Licenses

• "An Illinois license works anywhere in the state." The Cook, DuPage and Kane clerks say their licenses are valid only for ceremonies in the issuing county, matching section 207. The savings rule for an accidental ceremony elsewhere is a backstop, not permission.
• "You need a blood test." None of the county clerk pages checked lists one; the clerk hands out a health brochure instead.
• "Officiants must register with the state." The Cook County Clerk says no registration with any government office is required.
• "The fee is the same everywhere." Each county board sets it, up to the $75 statutory cap.

If You Are Marrying Near a State Line

A license from an Illinois county clerk is for a ceremony in that Illinois county. Couples marrying across the border follow the other state's rules; see Indiana marriage license requirements and Wisconsin marriage license requirements.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about marriage licenses under Illinois law (750 ILCS 5/201 to 5/221 and 55 ILCS 5/4-4001), verified on October 7, 2026. It is not legal advice. Procedures and fees vary by county and change over time. For your specific situation, contact the county clerk in the county where you will marry or a lawyer licensed in Illinois.

Related

• Marriage license requirements by state
• Illinois marriage and divorce records
• Illinois common-law marriage
• Illinois name change laws
• Common-law marriage by state

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a marriage license in Illinois?

Each county board sets the fee, capped at $75 in every county (55 ILCS 5/4-4001 and 5/4-12003). In October 2026, Cook charged $60, DuPage and Lake $35, and Kane $32, cash only.

Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Illinois?

Yes, one day. Under 750 ILCS 5/207 the license becomes effective one day after it is issued unless a court orders it effective when issued.

How long is an Illinois marriage license valid?

It expires 60 days after it becomes effective (750 ILCS 5/207). Clerks describe this as 60 days beginning the day after the license is issued.

Can I get a marriage license in Cook County and get married in DuPage County?

You should not plan to. Section 207 makes the license effective in the issuing county, and the Cook County Clerk says its license is valid only for ceremonies in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Apply in the county where the wedding will happen.

Do both people have to be present to get a marriage license in Illinois?

Yes. Section 203 requires that both parties have appeared before the county clerk. Cook, DuPage and Kane let you pre-apply online, but you still sign in person.

Can a 16 or 17 year old get married in Illinois?

Yes, with the consent of both parents or a guardian, or with judicial approval (750 ILCS 5/203(1) and 5/208). HB 1744, which would end marriage under 18, is pending and is not law.

Do you need witnesses to get married in Illinois?

No. The Kane County Clerk states that witnesses are not required by Illinois law.

Does a wedding officiant have to register in Illinois?

No. The Cook County Clerk says officiants are not required to register with any government office. Section 209 lists who may solemnize a marriage.

Can first cousins marry in Illinois?

Only if both are 50 or older, or one presents a physician's certificate of permanent and irreversible sterility (750 ILCS 5/212(a)(4)).

Who returns the marriage license after the wedding in Illinois?

The officiant completes the certificate and sends it to the county clerk within 10 days (750 ILCS 5/209(a)). If no one officiated alone, both spouses complete and return it.