Applicants seeking a marriage license must appear together in one the offices of Gregory J. Smith Recorder/County Clerk, County of San Diego, complete an application and pay the appropriate license fee.

Five locations of the Recorder/County Clerk’s office that process marriage licenses are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.

CHULA VISTA BRANCH OFFICE
590 Third Ave
Chula Vista, 91910
(619) 498-2277

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 273
San Diego, 92101
(619) 237-0502, ext 30

EL CAJON BRANCH OFFICE
200 S. Magnolia Ave
El Cajon, 92020
(619) 401-5750

KEARNY MESA BRANCH OFFICE
9225 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, 92123
(858) 505-6226

SAN MARCOS BRANCH OFFICE
141 East Carmel St
San Marcos, 92078
(760) 940-6858

A new service also enables you to process your license on Saturday, The County Clerk’s office is now available each Saturday at the Kearny Mesa Branch Office from 9:00am to 3:00pm. And, in addition to obtaining your marriage license, you may also have a Deputy Marriage Commissioner perform a civil ceremony for you for the nominal fee of $50. (This is in addition to your marriage license fee).

In addition to completing the application, you must also show a valid photo identification card or passport. The document must show your date of birth and your full legal name (no abbreviations or initials). A copy of your birth certificate is also handy to take along, but is not required. Marriage license fees for San Diego County are currently $50.

Public – You may be married anywhere in the State of California. A witness is required and the marriage becomes public record
Confidential – You must marry in the county where the license is issued. No witness is required. Only the bride and groom may obtain a certified copy of the license.

The license is valid immediately upon issuance and remains valid within the State of California for a period of 90 days. You may apply for your license at any time. However, you may want to avoid waiting until the last minute and obtain the license about a month in advance.

WHAT ABOUT PRIOR MARRIAGES?
You must provide proof of a prior divorce, death or annulment if that event happened within the last 90 days prior to you applying for a new license. For divorced persons, the divorce decree must be final prior to application for a marriage license.

AGE REQUIREMENTS
Both male and female applicants must be 18 years of age in order to apply for a marriage license. For anyone under 18, there are additional requirements that must be met, and you should contact your nearest County Clerk’s office for additional information.

FILING FOR YOUR LICENSE
The officiant or minister performing the ceremony is responsible for filing the document with the Recorder/County Clerk’s office within 10 days of the ceremony. Certified copies of the license are available approximately 2 weeks after the filing, and may be obtained at the Recorder/County Clerk’s office for a nominal fee. Brides may need to obtain a few copies of the license in order to facilitate name changes with government agencies, banks etc.

DO YOU HAVE FAMILY WHO CAN’T ATTEND YOUR WEDDING?
Why not webcast your wedding ceremony. A great service now available in San Diego and Kearny Mesa locations only, is the ability to broad cast your wedding on the website for guests unable to attend to still share your special day. There is a nominal fee of $25.00. For more details check the website.

QUESTIONS
Should you have question prior to applying for a marriage license, please contact the Recorder/County Clerk’s office at (619) 531-6248 or check out www.sdarcc.com and click on Weddings on the web.