How to Get Married in Texas: License, Waiting Period and Cost (2026 Guide)

Texas marriage license at a glance

• Valid for: 90 days from the day it's issued
• Waiting period: 72 hours after it's issued, unless you've taken a premarital course in the past year
• Where to apply: any county clerk in Texas, and the license works anywhere in the state
• Who needs to go: both of you, in person, with a valid photo ID
• Cost: varies by county, usually around $80, or $60 less for Texas residents with the premarital course
• Witnesses: none required

What’s on the Texas marriage license checklist?

Before your appointment

Decide whether to take a state-approved premarital course (at least 8 hours). If you take it in the year before you apply, you skip the 72-hour wait, and Texas residents get $60 off the license fee.

Check your county clerk's website to book or plan your visit for a date that keeps your wedding within the 90 days. Many counties let you fill out the application online first.

If either of you was married before, have the date that marriage ended handy. If it was finalized in the last 30 days, you'll need a certified copy of the decree showing the court waived the 30-day wait.

At your appointment

• Bring valid photo ID for both of you, and your Social Security numbers
• Bring your premarital course certificate, if you have one
• Bring payment. Accepted methods vary by county.

Your ceremony

• Line up your officiant (see "Who can officiate a wedding in Texas?" below)
• Wait 72 hours after your license is issued, unless you're exempt, and marry within 90 days
• Bring your license. Texas doesn't require witnesses.

After the wedding

• Your officiant has 30 days to return the signed license to the county clerk
• Once it's recorded, order a few certified copies from your county clerk for your name change, bank, employer, and insurance

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Is the Texas premarital course worth it?

For most couples, yes. A state-approved premarital education course of at least 8 hours, taken in the year before you apply, gives you two benefits:

• No 72-hour wait, so you can marry as soon as your license is issued
• $60 off the license fee for Texas residents

Bring your completion certificate when you apply.

How much does a marriage license cost in Texas?

The fee varies by county and is usually around $80. Texas residents who've taken the premarital course pay $60 less. Check your county clerk's website for the exact fee and the payment methods they accept.

Can you waive the 72-hour waiting period for a Texas marriage license?

You have to wait 72 hours after your license is issued before your ceremony. You can skip the wait if:

• You've taken the premarital course in the past year
• Either of you is on active military duty, or works for the Department of Defense as an employee or contractor
• A judge signs a written waiver for good cause

Once issued, your license is good for 90 days. If you don't marry in that time, you'll need to apply and pay again.

Who can officiate a wedding in Texas?

Your officiant can be a licensed or ordained minister, a priest or rabbi, a judge or a justice of the peace, among others.

• Want a judge or justice of the peace to marry you? Book with their office. It's separate from your license.
• Want a friend or family member to marry you? They'll need to be ordained or authorized by a religious organization. Texas doesn't offer a one-day officiant license.

After the ceremony, your officiant has 30 days to return the signed license to the county clerk.

What if one of you can't be there to apply for the marriage license in Texas?

If one of you can't go in person, the other partner or another adult can apply for you. They'll need a notarized affidavit from the absent partner and proof of that partner's identity and age. Check with your county clerk for the form they prefer.

When can you remarry after a divorce in Texas?

You can't marry someone new until 30 days after your divorce is final, unless the court waived the wait in your divorce decree. If it did, bring a certified copy of the decree when you apply. Remarrying your former spouse has no waiting period.

What paperwork do you need after getting married in Texas?

Once your license is recorded, order certified copies from your county clerk.

Marriage is also a good moment to look at your finances together:

• You can name your spouse as a beneficiary on retirement accounts and life insurance
• Review your health insurance. You can now change plans outside open enrollment.
• Establish how you'll handle shared and separate accounts
• Remember that your tax filing status changes for the whole year you marry, even if your wedding is in December

Planning a prenup? Give yourselves time. Each of you will want your own attorney, and the conversations go more smoothly when they aren't squeezed into the weeks before the wedding.