How to Get a Marriage License in Montgomery County, PA

To get a marriage license in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, both partners apply together through the Register of Wills at the county courthouse in Norristown, usually with an online application and a short video appointment. The license costs $85, is not valid until three days after you apply, and stays good for 60 days anywhere in Pennsylvania.

We are a wedding venue in the northern end of the county, in Pennsburg, so we walk couples through this often. Here is exactly how it works, with the official county link for anything that might have changed.

Where to apply in Montgomery County

Marriage licenses are handled by the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. You start the application online and finish it in a short video appointment, and the two of you can log in from different places. Walk-in appointments are also available. Start on the official Montgomery County marriage license page.

What it costs

The license is $85. If you want a certified copy of the marriage record afterward, which most people need for name changes and benefits, that is $25. Confirm the current fees on the county page before your appointment.

What to bring

• One government photo ID for each of you, such as a passport or driver's license.
• Your Social Security number, if you have one.
• Your parents' full names, birthplaces, and your mother's maiden name. Pennsylvania asks for all of this on the application, and it is the detail couples most often get caught out by.
• If either of you was married before, the divorce decree or death certificate for the most recent marriage.

Both of you must be at least 18. Pennsylvania does not issue a license if either applicant is under 18, and there is no exception for parental consent or court approval. There is no blood test and no residency requirement.

Step by step

1. Complete the online application.
2. Schedule and attend the video or in-person appointment together.
3. Pay the $85 fee.
4. Wait three days. The license is not valid until three days after the appointment.
5. Marry within 60 days.

The three-day wait and the 60-day window

Pennsylvania makes you wait three days after applying before the license is valid, and the license expires 60 days after it is issued. The county recommends starting at least two weeks before your ceremony, which is good advice: it clears the waiting period with room to spare.

Do you have to get married in Montgomery County?

No. Your Montgomery County license is a Pennsylvania license, and it is valid in any of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. You can get the license here and marry in Philadelphia, the Poconos, or anywhere else in the state. The only limit is that a Pennsylvania license cannot be used outside Pennsylvania. For the statewide rules, see our Pennsylvania marriage license guide.

After the ceremony

Whoever officiates signs the license, and it is returned to the county that issued it for recording. If you would rather marry each other with no officiant at all, Pennsylvania allows that through a self-uniting marriage license.

Planning a Montgomery County wedding

With the license handled, the next question is where. The Museum at Hoppenville is a restored 24-acre estate in Pennsburg with three venues, from an intimate room to a 220-guest hall. Come tour the grounds, see the venues, or stay the weekend in the Cottage.