Missouri Marriage License Requirements 2026: Fees, Age 18, Online

In Missouri, the county recorder of deeds issues marriage licenses under Chapter 451 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. There is no waiting period, the license is void after 30 days (RSMo 451.040), and fees are set locally: $50 in St. Louis County, $52 in Jackson County, $53 in Greene County. Since August 28, 2025, both of you must be at least 18, with no exceptions (RSMo 451.090).

For the rules in 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 Missouri under Chapter 451 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo 451.010 to 451.150), as amended by SB 43 (2025), using the published procedures of the St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jackson County and Greene County recorders and the Recorder of Deeds for the City of St. Louis. It does not cover divorce, ordering older marriage records, common-law marriage, or the rules of other states.

Where to Get a Marriage License in Missouri

Apply to a recorder of deeds. Each county has one, and the City of St. Louis has its own recorder, separate from St. Louis County. RSMo 451.040 requires that "the parties to the marriage shall present an application for the license, duly executed and signed in the presence of the recorder of deeds or their deputy or electronically through an online process."

Missouri does not require you to live in Missouri to marry there. The online route is narrower: under RSMo 451.040(7), a recorder may accept an online application only if at least one applicant lives in that county or city, and the recorder must verify your identity through a two-step or independent process.

How the larger offices handle it:

• St. Louis County: "Marriage license applications in St. Louis County are completed entirely online or by VIRTUAL appointment. No walk-ins will be accepted." At least one applicant must be a St. Louis County resident. Applications paid after 4:00 pm are processed the next business day, and one applicant can pick up the license at the Clayton office, 41 South Central Ave.
• St. Charles County: runs a fully online application with ID upload and electronic signature. The license is mailed or picked up, and licenses are not issued after 4:30 pm.
• Jackson County (Kansas City and Independence): "Both parties must be present at the time of application." You can fill out an online application before you visit. Jackson County lists one place to apply: the Historic Truman Courthouse, 112 W Lexington, Suite 30, Independence, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.
• Greene County (Springfield): "Both parties must appear in person at the Recorder's office with proper identification and social security number." The office is at 940 N Boonville Ave, Springfield, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 4:30.

The statute makes one in-person exception. If an applicant cannot sign in the recorder's presence because of incarceration, or because the applicant "has been called or ordered to active military duty out of the state or country," the recorder may issue a license on a sworn statement (RSMo 451.040(2)). Some counties also make arrangements for applicants with a disability; ask your recorder.

Jackson, Greene and St. Charles counties say the license can be used for a ceremony anywhere in Missouri, but not outside the state. St. Charles puts it this way: "The ceremony must be performed within 30 days in the state of Missouri beginning from the date of issuance." The statute sections we read do not address where the license can be used.

What to Bring

Bring government-issued photo ID and your Social Security number. Under RSMo 451.040, "Each application for a license shall contain the Social Security number of the applicant, provided that the applicant in fact has a Social Security number, or the applicant shall sign a statement provided by the recorder that the applicant does not have a Social Security number." The number is exempt from public examination and copying (RSMo 451.040(3)).

RSMo 451.090(2) requires proof of age, such as a certified birth certificate, a passport or another government-issued ID, which the recorder documents. County details:

• Greene, St. Charles and St. Louis City: a valid government photo ID showing your full legal name, such as a driver's license, state ID or passport.
• St. Louis County and St. Charles County: the name on your ID must match your name with the Social Security Administration. St. Louis County asks non-citizens for valid government photo ID with certified English translations.
• If you were married before: St. Charles asks for the month and year your last marriage ended, St. Louis County for the date of the divorce decree, and Jackson for the date your last marriage ended.

How Much a Missouri Marriage License Costs

Missouri law sets the price in pieces rather than as one total, so each recorder posts its own price. Under RSMo 451.150 the recorder "shall receive a fee of ten dollars to be paid for by the person obtaining the same," and RSMo 451.151 adds a $20 fee to every license ($15 for the state children's trust fund and $5 for domestic violence shelters) and $7 to every certified copy.

St. Charles County states its total: "The total cost of the marriage license and a certified copy is $60 ($49 for marriage license, $9 for certified copy, $2 for postage)." It takes cash or cards with a convenience fee, and declines Discover.

Jackson County accepts cash, credit (except American Express) or debit, with a 2.75% processing fee on cards. Greene takes cash or debit and credit cards with a convenience fee. The City of St. Louis takes Visa, Mastercard or cash, and no checks.

Older, lower fees for St. Louis County and Greene County still appear online. Fees change, so the recorder's own page is the final word.

Waiting Period and How Long the License Lasts

Missouri has no waiting period. The heading of RSMo 451.040 still mentions one, but the section as now in force contains none. Jackson County explains: "Pursuant to changes in Missouri Law, there is no longer a 3-day waiting period. The marriage license is now issued at the time of application."

St. Louis County adds, "You may apply for and obtain your marriage license and get married on the same day." Greene County also says Missouri law eliminated the 3-day wait.

The license expires after 30 days. RSMo 451.040(3): "The license shall be void after thirty days from the date of issuance." The City of St. Louis tells applicants the license is good for 29 days after pickup, which is stricter than the statute, so plan around the shorter figure if you apply there. If the license lapses, you apply for a new one.

Recently divorced? The statute sets no waiting period after a divorce, but some offices do. The City of St. Louis requires divorced applicants to wait at least 30 days after the divorce is final before applying. Greene County lets someone divorced less than 30 days apply after acknowledging in writing that the divorce could be appealed. For divorce rules, see Missouri divorce laws.

Age Requirements: 18 With No Exceptions

Missouri ended child marriage in 2025. SB 43, which Governor Kehoe signed on July 9, 2025, took effect on August 28, 2025, and amended RSMo 451.040, 451.080 and 451.090. RSMo 451.090 now reads:

"No recorder shall issue a license authorizing the marriage of any male or female under eighteen years of age."

There is no parental-consent route, no court-order route, and no exception for pregnancy or emancipation. The license form in RSMo 451.080 now states that the parties are of the age of eighteen years.

Before the change, RSMo 451.090 barred anyone under 16 and allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with a custodial parent's sworn written consent. It also barred a person 21 or older from marrying someone under 18. Guides that still describe parental consent for minors are out of date.

Who Cannot Marry in Missouri

RSMo 451.020 makes these marriages presumptively void: between parents and children (including grandparents and grandchildren of every degree), between brothers and sisters of the whole or half blood, and "between uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, first cousins, and between persons who lack capacity to enter into a marriage contract." A court may approve the marriage of a person who lacks capacity.

You cannot marry while a former spouse is living unless the earlier marriage has been dissolved (RSMo 451.030).

Missouri does not recognize common-law marriage: RSMo 451.040(5) says common-law marriages "shall be null and void." For how that rule works, see Missouri common-law marriage.

RSMo 451.022 still contains a ban on same-sex marriage, but the Revisor of Statutes notes it was held unconstitutional (Lawson v. Kelly, W.D. Mo. 2014; Obergefell v. Hodges). Same-sex couples get licenses on the same terms as everyone else.

Blood Tests

No blood test is required. Missouri's former premarital-testing sections have been repealed: RSMo 451.050 (repealed in 1980) and 451.060 and 451.070 (repealed in 1981). None of the recorder pages we checked asks for a medical test.

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

RSMo 451.100 lists who may solemnize a marriage in Missouri:

• "any clergyman, either active or retired, who is in good standing with any church or synagogue in this state";
• any judge, including a municipal judge, who may not take compensation for it;
• a religious society, institution or organization, according to its own regulations and customs, when either party is a member.

Missouri law does not require officiants to register with the state. The statute does not address online ordination, and we found no official guidance on it. If your officiant was ordained online, ask the recorder or a Missouri lawyer whether that officiant meets the RSMo 451.100 standard.

The City of St. Louis sets a stricter rule for its licenses: it says the officiant must be a U.S. citizen who is clergy in good standing with a Missouri congregation or a judge of a court of record. Check with the city recorder if you apply there.

Two safeguards protect couples. Under RSMo 451.040(6), a marriage is not invalid for lack of authority in the person who performed it if the parties believed in good faith they were lawfully married. And a person who falsely claims authority to marry people and deceives the couple commits a class C misdemeanor (RSMo 451.115).

Witnesses

The Chapter 451 sections we read do not require witnesses. St. Charles County, Greene County and the City of St. Louis, however, say two witnesses sign the license. Bring two witnesses if your license comes from one of those offices.

Proxy marriage

Missouri's statute does not authorize proxy marriage. The only exception it makes to signing in person is the sworn-statement route for incarcerated applicants and those called to active military duty out of the state or country (RSMo 451.040(2)), and that covers the application, not the ceremony.

Covenant Marriage Is Not Available

Missouri does not offer covenant marriage. In 2026, SB 1333 was introduced to add covenant-marriage sections to Chapters 451 and 452. The legislature's record shows no action after its first reading on January 7, 2026, and the 2026 regular session has ended. It is not law.

After the Ceremony

The officiant completes the return on the license and sends it back. RSMo 451.080(2) requires that "the person solemnizing the marriage shall, within fifteen days after the issuing thereof, make as near as may be the following return, and return such license to the officer issuing the same." Note the clock: it runs 15 days from issuance, not from the wedding.

An officiant who fails to return the license within 15 days, or makes a false return, commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $5 to $100 (RSMo 451.130(2)). The officiant must also give the couple a certificate of marriage, on a blank form the recorder supplies (RSMo 451.110).

St. Louis County warns that the license "must be returned to our office within 15 days of the ceremony by the officiant or the license will be void." The statute makes a late return a misdemeanor for the officiant and does not say the license becomes void, but follow your county's instructions.

The recorder then records the license (RSMo 451.150). St. Charles County mails a certified copy and a keepsake after the license is returned; allow about 30 days. St. Louis County mails any certified copies you ordered ($9 each) after the license is returned. To order copies later, see Missouri marriage and divorce records. Jackson and St. Louis counties point to the certified copy as the document for a name change or Social Security update; see Missouri name change laws.

Common Myths

• "Missouri lets 16- and 17-year-olds marry with a parent's consent." Not since August 28, 2025. The minimum age is 18, with no exceptions.
• "Missouri has a 3-day waiting period." It was eliminated. Jackson, Greene and St. Louis counties issue the license the day you apply.
• "We both have to go to the recorder's office." Not everywhere. The statute allows an online process, and St. Louis County and St. Charles County issue licenses online or by virtual appointment.
• "Missouri recognizes common-law marriage." RSMo 451.040(5) says common-law marriages are null and void.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about marriage licenses under Missouri law (Chapter 451 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri), verified on October 7, 2026, and is not legal advice. Fees, office hours and recorder procedures change. For your specific situation, ask the recorder of deeds where you will apply or a lawyer licensed in Missouri.

Related

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

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I get a marriage license in Missouri?

From a county recorder of deeds, or from the Recorder of Deeds for the City of St. Louis. RSMo 451.040 lets you apply in the recorder's presence or through an online process where the county offers one.

How much is a marriage license in Missouri?

It depends on the county. St. Louis County charges $50, Jackson County $52, Greene County $53, and St. Charles County $49 for the license plus $9 for a certified copy and $2 postage.

Is there a waiting period to get married in Missouri?

No. Jackson County says there is no longer a 3-day waiting period and the license is issued when you apply; St. Louis County says you can get the license and marry the same day.

How long is a Missouri marriage license valid?

30 days. RSMo 451.040(3) says the license is void after thirty days from the date of issuance.

Can you get married at 16 or 17 in Missouri?

No. Since August 28, 2025, RSMo 451.090 bars recorders from issuing a license to anyone under 18, and the law has no parental-consent or court exception.

Can I apply for a Missouri marriage license online?

Yes, where the county offers it. RSMo 451.040 allows online applications if at least one applicant lives in that county or city; St. Louis County and St. Charles County run online processes.

Can first cousins marry in Missouri?

No. RSMo 451.020 makes marriages between first cousins presumptively void.

Does Missouri require a blood test to get married?

No. The former premarital-testing sections, RSMo 451.050 through 451.070, have been repealed.

Who can marry us in Missouri?

Under RSMo 451.100: a clergyman, active or retired, in good standing with a church or synagogue in Missouri; a judge, including a municipal judge; or a religious society according to its customs when either of you is a member.