IMPORTANT NOTE
The DC Marriage Bureau ended Marriage Application by Proxy during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing couples to either visit the DC Marriage Bureau to apply in person or use the court’s new online marriage license application. Due to limited operations at the DC Superior Court and reduced staffing at the DC Marriage Bureau, this resulted in service delays of up to 8 weeks for obtaining DC marriage licenses and certified copies, even when they are ordered online.
The information regarding DC Marriage Application by Proxy below is here for historical purposes, and is not the current process for obtaining a marriage license in DC. If you are trying to get married in DC, please consider our Legal Online Marriage Package or any of our other Washington, DC Elopement Packages.
Prior to 2021, the DC Marriage Bureau allowed a third party to appear in person at the court and submit a marriage license application on behalf of two other people, referred to as a “Marriage License Application by Proxy”. This made it more convenient for couples traveling to DC from around the world to get legally married in DC, since they would not have to arrive on a weekday and spend most of a full day in the DC Superior Court trying to get a marriage license.
To complete the DC Marriage License Application by Proxy we needed to have the following information for both applicants on the form:
- First, Middle, and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Home and Work Telephone Numbers
- Social Security Numbers (if US Citizens)
- Any Former Marriages and Status
- If Divorced, the City/State where the divorce decree was obtained
- Kinship Between Spouses (what, if any, is your blood relation to your co-applicant)
- Full Name and Title of your Officiant (they must be authorized and registered with the D.C. Court)
- Copies of government-issued photo ID to verify identity and proof of age (driver’s license or non-driver’s ID) *NOTE: You can use a copy of a passport if you are not a US citizen, but it must be notarized.
Although we no longer offer proxy service, we have an even easier way to get legally married in DC (or anywhere!) by using our Legal Online Marriage Package. For DC marriage licenses, we do offer DC Certified Copy Courier Service to help couples request and receive official certified copies of their DC marriage license more quickly and securely.
If you need an authorized DC officiant to sign your license and don’t want to wait several weeks for an appointment for a courthouse wedding, consider our “Express Marriage” License Signing Service. We also offer several Elopement Packages and DC Marriage Officiant Services for full-scale weddings.