Filling Out Marriage Licenses

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ATTENTION OFFICIATORS

Please follow these guidelines for filling out Marriage Licenses.

  1. The ceremony must take place in Delaware.
  2. Please check the marriage license for all official dates, the 24 hour waiting period and the 30 day expiration date.
  3. The couple must have two (2) witnesses at least 18 years of age at the time of the ceremony with photo ID so that you can verify that they have written their information correctly on the document, especially the witnesses date of birth.
  4. The officiator may not officiate and serve as a witness of the same ceremony. There must be two witnesses during the ceremony in addition to the officiator.
  5. All entries must be legible. PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY.
  6. Do not leave any spaces blank. Please verify that all three (3) copies are completed correctly.
  7. Officiator’s section must include:
    • The exact Day, Month, Year, and Time of ceremony, including a.m. or p.m.
    • The City/Town and the County (New Castle, Kent or Sussex) that the ceremony took place.
    • The Officiator’s Name
    • The wedding location such as: Name of Hall, Church, Venue (where the wedding actually took place.)
    • The Officiator’s complete address (street, city, state, ZIP code and county), not the address of the wedding location.
    • The signature of the Officiator and telephone number.
    • The Officiator’s title must be completed properly. Please do not use: Officiant, Officiator, Mr., Mrs., or Ms. as your title. If this is the first wedding you have officiated in Sussex County, please send a copy of your credentials.
  8. Witness section must include:
    • The Witness must PRINT full name. Must be legible.
    • The Witness must PRINT their complete address – Street, City, State and ZIP Code.
    • The Witness must include their date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY) – not the date of the wedding.
    • The Witness must sign all three copies of the marriage license.
  9. Give Couple’s copy to the couple immediately after the ceremony.
  10. Send State’s copy to the Marriage Bureau within 15 days in accordance with Title 13, Chapter 1 or a $50.00 late fee will apply. (Do not separate at perforation.) Please note, holidays and weekends are included in the 15 days so be sure to mail immediately after the ceremony.
  11. Keep the Officiator’s copy for your records. Please refer to Title 13, Chapter 1 for retention time frames.
  12. Incomplete, illegible, or inaccurate licenses sent to this office will be returned to the Officiator for completion/correction. Ceremonies will not be officially recorded until the proper documentation is returned and it must be received at the Marriage Bureau within 15 days of the ceremony date, in accordance with Title 13, Chapter 1 or a $50.00 late fee will apply.

Phone (302) 853-1717, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, if you have any questions.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Clerk of the Peace/Marriage Bureau Staff
Sussex County, Delaware