Where the bureau is and when it is open
The Clark County Marriage License Bureau is downtown at the Regional Justice Center on South 3rd Street, a few blocks south of Fremont Street and about a $15 to $25 rideshare from the center Strip. It is a walk-in office; there are no appointments and no need for one. As of 2026 it is open every day of the year, including weekends and holidays, from early morning until around midnight, but hours do change, so check the Clark County Clerk website before you go. Valentine's week, New Year's Eve and dates with repeating numbers are the busiest, and lines can stretch past an hour; a Tuesday morning in September is a ten-minute affair.
Parking is in nearby public garages or metered street spaces; if you are coming from the Strip, a rideshare to the front entrance is simpler. Many chapels include a shuttle to the bureau in their packages, which is worth taking if you are eloping without a car. See rideshare and taxis for how to get downtown.
The process, step by step
- Pre-apply online. The county runs a free online pre-application that lets you enter both parties' details up to about 60 days in advance. It is not mandatory, but it cuts the in-person visit to minutes. Note the confirmation number.
- Both of you go to the bureau. There is no way around this: both parties must appear in person, together, at the counter. No proxies, no spouse-to-be waiting in the car.
- Show ID and swear the details are true. A clerk checks your documents, confirms names, dates of birth, parents' names and any previous marriages, and has you sign under oath.
- Pay the fee. Cards and cash are accepted; some payment types carry a small processing surcharge.
- Walk out with the licence. It is issued on the spot and is valid immediately. There is no waiting period in Nevada.
The licence is a piece of paper you hand to the officiant at the ceremony. Do not lose it between the bureau and the chapel; replacement means another visit and another fee.
Documents you need
Each person needs one piece of valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID that shows date of birth: a driver's licence, state ID card, passport, passport card, military ID or a US permanent resident card all work. Birth certificates alone are not sufficient as ID. Photocopies and photos on your phone are not accepted. You do not need a birth certificate, a blood test, a medical exam or proof of residence.
You will be asked for the names of your parents including your mothers' maiden names, your places of birth and your social security numbers if you have them (foreign nationals without one simply state that). If either of you has been married before, you need to state the date, city and state or country where the marriage ended and how (divorce, death or annulment). You do not usually need to show the divorce decree, but the marriage must be legally ended; if the final decree is dated within the last few days, bring it.
Fees and how to pay
The licence fee is roughly $100 to $110 as of 2026; the county sets it and adjusts it occasionally, so check the Clark County Clerk site for the current number. A commissioner of civil marriages can perform a short civil ceremony at the county's own office for an additional fee, usually well under $100, which is the cheapest legal wedding in the city. Certified copies of the marriage certificate are a separate charge from the Clark County Recorder, in the region of $20 each as of 2026.
Payment is by cash or major card; card payments may carry a small convenience fee. There are no discounts, no residency pricing and no need to pay anyone outside the bureau for a licence. Any website or service offering to "arrange" or "expedite" a Las Vegas marriage licence for a fee is selling you a form you can fill out yourself in five minutes.
Age, eligibility and the rules
You must be at least 18 to marry in Nevada. Seventeen-year-olds can marry only with a court order, and no one under 17 may marry at all. You cannot be married to anyone else, and you cannot marry a close blood relative (closer than second cousins). Same-sex marriage has been legal in Nevada since 2014 and the bureau issues licences to all couples on the same terms. There is no requirement that you be a Nevada or US resident, and no requirement that you be sober, though staff can decline to serve a person who is obviously incapable of giving consent, which is one reason the 3 a.m. impulse wedding is rarer than the films suggest.
The licence is valid for one year from issue and must be used within Nevada: you can drive to Lake Tahoe and marry there on a Clark County licence, but not to Utah or California.
International couples
Thousands of couples from outside the US marry in Las Vegas every year and the process is the same, with passports as ID. A few details matter more for you. First, make sure your home country will recognise the marriage; nearly all do, but many require a certified copy of the certificate with an apostille, which is a separate authentication issued by the Nevada Secretary of State. You order the certified copy from the Clark County Recorder, then send it (or have a chapel or service send it) to the Secretary of State for the apostille. Allow several weeks for the whole chain.
Second, some countries (Germany and Japan among them, historically) require a certificate of no impediment or a translated document; check with your consulate before the trip rather than after. Third, if your name will change, do it at home through your own government's process using the apostilled certificate. Many chapels catering to overseas couples, and the resort wedding departments, handle apostille paperwork as a paid add-on and it is often worth it.
After the ceremony: certified copies
The officiant signs the licence with your witness and files it with the county, usually within ten days. Once recorded, the Clark County Recorder can issue certified copies of the marriage certificate; the chapel's decorative certificate is a keepsake, not a legal document. You can order copies online, by post or in person, and they normally take a couple of weeks to arrive, longer around busy periods. Order at least two: one for a name change with the Social Security Administration and DMV or your home country's equivalent, and one for passports, insurance, immigration or employer records.
If you need proof faster, some chapels will file the licence the same day and the Recorder offers expedited handling; ask at the time of booking. Keep the officiant's details in case anything goes astray, and check the Recorder's online index after two weeks to confirm the record exists.
Insider tips
- Do the online pre-application in your hotel room the night before. It turns an hour into fifteen minutes.
- Go to the bureau in the morning on the day before the ceremony, not the day of. It removes the single biggest point of failure from your wedding day.
- Spell everything as it appears on your ID. Corrections to a recorded certificate mean an amendment fee and a court-style form.
- Ask the clerk for a couple of extra minutes to photograph the licence with your phone. If the paper is lost, the photo speeds up a replacement.
- If you plan to marry outdoors on public land, the licence is not a permit. Red Rock, Valley of Fire and the Grand Canyon each require a separate special-use permit; see unique venues.
- Combine the trip downtown with lunch on Fremont Street or a stop at the Mob Museum, which is a short walk from the justice center.