• Florida Marriage License for a Forgotten Coast Wedding

  • By Chris Truitt, owner and officiant.

    If you are flying to Florida’s Forgotten Coast to get married, the license is simpler than most couples expect — as long as you go to the right clerk and bring the right IDs. You do not need to live in Florida. You do need a Florida marriage license to be legally married in Florida, and you both have to apply in person.

    This is the destination-couple version of our Florida marriage licenses page: which county to use on this coast, what to bring, and what we handle after you say I do.

    Which county clerk do Forgotten Coast couples use?

    You can apply in any Florida county. Most of our couples use the clerk closest to the ceremony so the drive stays short the morning of, or the day before.

    The license is valid anywhere in Florida for 60 days. After the ceremony we return it to the county that issued it, not the county where you stood on the sand.

    Waiting period, fee, and what to bring

    Out-of-state couples: there is no three-day waiting period. Florida residents have a three-day wait unless they bring a qualifying premarital-course certificate. The statewide fee is typically $86, or $61 with that certificate — confirm with the clerk the week you go, because counties post their own hours and accepted payment types.

    • Both of you must appear together with valid photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID).
    • Know your Social Security numbers. Non-citizens can use other documentation the clerk lists.
    • If either of you was married before, know how and when it ended (month/day/year).
    • Florida does not require witnesses to make the marriage legal. You do not need two friends at the clerk or on the beach for the license.

    Same-day and last-minute

    Clerks are weekday offices, usually closing mid-afternoon. If you need to get married this weekend, get the license Friday. If you need an officiant on short notice after that, start with our last-minute Forgotten Coast weddings page and call.

    Bring the license to the ceremony. We sign it and mail it back to the issuing clerk, usually within the ten-day window Florida gives officiants.

    Planning the ceremony itself? Tell us the town — Mexico Beach, St. George Island, Cape San Blas, or contact us if you are still choosing.