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Marriage in Pennsylvania
The Clerk of Orphans' Court Division of the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas is pleased to be of assistance to you and your future spouse. We have prepared the following list of requirements to help you make application for your marriage license. Should you have any question, you may reach us Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. by telephone:

Direct Line	215-348-6271
Lower Bucks County	215-946-8900 or 215-355-7497
Upper Bucks County	215-536-4680
Email address	orphanscourt@co.bucks.pa.us

 

1. Where to apply
A male and female applicant must appear together in person either at the Bucks County Court House in Doylestown any weekday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or at the office of a Bucks County District Justice. For your added convenience our Courthouse office remains open, for Bucks County residents, the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month until 7:30 p.m. On these "convenience" evenings, you are asked to enter the Courthouse through the Court Street entrance.

2. Proof of age and identity
Each applicant must be 18 years of age or older and present his/her Social Security number, proof of identity and age when applying for a marriage license. Acceptable means of proof are: driver's license or passport.

3. Minor Applicants

Applicants Who Are Under Age Eighteen: §1304(b) (2)
No marriage license may be issued if either of the applicants is under 18 years of age unless the consent of the custodial parent or guardian of the applicant is personally given before the person issuing the license or is certified under the hand of the custodial parent or guardian attested by two adult witnesses and, in the latter case, the signature of the custodial parent or guardian is acknow-ledged before an officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments.

No Legal Guardian or Parent's Whereabouts Unknown:
The minor applicant must file a petition requesting a Judge of the Orphans' Court Division to appoint a guardian ad litem (temporary guardian).

Applicants Who are Under Age Sixteen: §1304(b) (1)
No marriage license may be issued if either of the applicant(s) for a license is under 16 years of age unless the court decides that it is to the best interest of the applicant and authorizes the issuance of the license.

4. Previously married applicants

Divorce or Annulment:
The applicant must submit a copy of the most recent divorce or annulment decree.

If a court of a foreign country entered the decree, the applicants must submit a copy of the decree with an English translation and the translator's notarized affidavit stating his/her qualifications and the fact that he/she has made an accurate translation.

If a female applicant wishes to apply for a marriage license in her prior or maiden name, she must present a certified copy of her notice or intention to resume the name. Such notice is generally on file with the Clerk of Court which entered the divorce decree. If she used her prior name consistently since the divorce without filing a notice of resumption, she must sign an affidavit of such continuous use on a form available from the Clerk.

Widow or Widower:
Submit proof of death of most recent former spouse by death certificate or obituary notice. (Consult your attorney about special statutory provisions applicable to former spouses who have disappeared and are presumed dead.)

5. Mental Deficiency
If either of the applicants is weak-minded, insane, of unsound mind or under guardianship as a person of unsound mind, that applicant must submit a letter from the attending physician stating the extent of such condition and that it is in the best interest of the applicant and the general public that the license should be issued. A Judge of the Orphans' Court Division, upon petition, will decide whether a marriage license will be issued.

6. Three-day waiting period
The Clerk cannot issue a marriage license until the third day following the date of the most recent application (e.g., if the application is made on the tenth of the month, the Clerk will issue the license on the thirteenth).

In an emergency or where extraordinary circumstances exist, a Judge of the Orphans' Court Division, upon petition on a form supplied by the Clerk, may grant a waiver of the three-day waiting period.

A military applicant on active duty upon short leave may obtain a waiver of the three-day waiting period upon petition made in person through the Orphans' Court Clerk to a Judge of the Orphans' Court Division. There is no fee for an active military waiver.

7. Validity
The marriage license shall not be valid for a longer period than 60 days after the issuance.

8. Residence of applicants and place of marriage
There is no residency requirement to apply for and obtain a Pennsylvania marriage license. Since this is a state license, the wedding ceremony may take place in any county within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

9. Fees: Effective February 1, 2007

	ORPHANS' COURT	DISTRICT JUSTICE
Marriage license application and certification	$60.00	$62.00*
Certified copy of marriage license (NO Charge for Military with ID**)	$20.00	$20.00
Each consent	$10.00	$10.00
Affidavit of name verification	$10.00	$10.00
Special petitions:
Appointment of guardian ad litem	$65.00
Under age 16	$35.00
Waiver, 3-day waiting period:
Emergency	$35.00
Military	n/c
Petition, mental deficiency	$65.00

*Includes computerization/records management surcharge.
NOTE: When making application, fee is payable in CASH or MONEY ORDER, personal checks are not accepted.
**Two copies are automatically issued after marriage ceremony if Military ID was shown at the time of Application

10. Relatives
Blood relative down to and including first cousins MAY NOT marry under the laws of Pennsylvania. For other prohibitions, check with the Clerk of Orphans' Court or your attorney.

11. Intoxication or drug abuse
The marriage law forbids the Clerk to issue a marriage license if either applicant is under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug at the time they make their application.

12. Criminal penalties
Misrepresentation of facts upon a marriage license application is a criminal offense subject to penalties set forth in the Crimes Code, 18 C.S. sections 4903 & 4904.

13. Appeal
Applicants aggrieved by refusal of the Clerk to issue a marriage license may appeal pursuant to Section 1308 of the Marriage Law, 23 Pa. C.S.A. §1308.