How do you get a marriage license in Phoenix (Maricopa County)?

In Maricopa County, the Clerk of the Superior Court issues the marriage license: you both go in person, each with a government photo ID, pay $98, get it the same day and have one year to marry.

The Clerk books marriage license appointments at four offices, two in Phoenix and one each in Surprise and Mesa, and some justice and municipal courts issue licenses too.

The ceremony comes next. Didi is a wedding officiant who can marry you in Spanish, English or both.

Where do you get the license in Phoenix, and what does it cost?

At one of the four Clerk offices that book marriage license appointments, or at one of the justice or municipal courts the Clerk has deputized to issue licenses. It costs $98, the fee both the Clerk and the county’s justice courts listed in October 2026.

• Downtown: 601 W. Jackson St., Phoenix.
• Northeast: 18380 N. 40th St., Phoenix.
• Northwest: 14264 W. Tierra Buena Ln., Surprise.
• Southeast: 222 E. Javelina, Mesa.

At all four, the Clerk recommends an appointment but accepts walk-ins. Appointments are limited. You book them on the Clerk’s Make an Appointment page, and people with appointments are served first. The Clerk’s offices take cash, money orders, and debit or credit cards.

The Clerk’s appointment page can’t book the deputized courts. Among the justice courts, three locations issue licenses: the Southwest Regional Court Center in Avondale, the Ocotillo Regional Court Center in Chandler and Ironwood Justice Court in Gila Bend. They accept only a money order made payable to “Clerk of Superior Court.” The Clerk’s marriage license locations page lists the locations and their hours.

Some guides still say $83. That’s the amount written in A.R.S. § 12-284. The Arizona courts’ superior court fee schedule, in effect since December 28, 2024, adds the increases the Arizona Supreme Court approved and lists the license at $98.

The clerk of the superior court in any other Arizona county can issue the license too (A.R.S. § 25-121). You can also call the Maricopa County Clerk about appointments and hours at (602) 372-5375.

Detail	In person	Online
Who	Both of you, together, at the counter	At least one of you lives in Arizona, and the ceremony is at least 30 days away
ID	A valid government photo ID for each of you	Valid ID that shows Arizona residency and matches the names on the application exactly
Social Security number	Each of you, if you have one	Both of you need one
Cost	$98	$98 plus $8 postage and handling
Payment	Cash, money order, debit or credit card at the Clerk’s offices (justice courts: money order only)	Credit card only: Visa, MasterCard or American Express
When you get it	Same day	The Clerk reviews the application in 7 to 10 business days and, if it’s accepted, calls you, then mails the license within 3 business days of payment

Table sources: the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court’s marriage license page and online program page, and the county justice courts’ Get Married page, all read October 9, 2026.

Adding up the whole budget? See what a civil wedding costs in Phoenix.

What are the requirements to marry in Arizona, and how does the license process work?

If you’re both 18 or older, the Clerk’s list is short: a valid government photo ID for each of you, your Social Security numbers if you have them, and the $98 fee. At the counter:

1. You both go together. If one of you is missing, the Clerk won’t issue the license.
2. You fill out the Clerk’s application and sign the marriage license affidavit, a statement made under oath with each person’s name, age and home address (A.R.S. § 25-121). You can print the In-Person Marriage License Application from the Clerk’s page and bring it filled out, or arrive a few minutes early and fill one out there.
3. You give the Clerk your Social Security numbers separately from the affidavit (same statute). If one of you has no number, see the Social Security section below.
4. You pay the $98.
5. You leave with the license that same day.

Before you sign, check that your names are written the way they appear on your IDs, including both surnames if your ID shows both.

If either of you is 16 or 17, the Clerk’s page lists extra requirements. No one under 16 may marry in Arizona.

What ID is accepted? Does a matrícula consular or a Mexican passport work?

Each of you needs a valid, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or a passport. The Clerk uses it to confirm your age and identity.

A matrícula consular has been accepted since May 28, 2021, as long as the government that issued it used biometric identity verification, such as fingerprints or retina scans. That’s the Clerk’s rule, and Arizona law requires the state and its local governments to accept a consular ID issued that way (A.R.S. § 41-5001).

Mexico’s foreign ministry (SRE) issues the matrícula through its consulates, and a matrícula is good for five years from the day it’s issued (Phoenix consulate’s matrícula page, in Spanish), so check the date on yours. The SRE lists fingerprints among the card’s biometric elements (SRE fact sheet, in Spanish). Whether your card meets the rule is the Clerk’s call at the counter.

What about a Mexican passport? The Clerk’s list says “passport” without naming a country. If you plan to bring a passport from another country, confirm it with the Clerk at (602) 372-5375 before you go.

Can you get a license without a Social Security number?

The Clerk’s in-person page asks for a Social Security number only from applicants who have one. In the Clerk’s words:

“Arizona Revised Statute 25-121(B) requires applicants to provide their social security number (SSN), if any.”

The online program is different: both of you need a number. So if one of you doesn’t have one, you apply in person. Before you go, call the Clerk at (602) 372-5375 and ask what the person without a number does at that step.

Arizona law bars the Clerk from releasing your number without your written request, except to the Arizona Department of Economic Security for child support enforcement (A.R.S. § 25-121).

What marriage means for an immigration case is a separate question, and it belongs with an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.

Can you apply online?

Yes, if you meet the Clerk’s conditions: at least one of you lives in Arizona, the ceremony is at least 30 days away, and you both have valid ID and a Social Security number. The steps:

1. Apply through the Clerk’s online marriage license program and upload a photo of the front of each ID. The Clerk says the IDs must show Arizona residency and match the names on the application exactly.
2. Print the affidavit the Clerk emails you, both sign it by hand the way you sign on your IDs, and upload it.
3. The Clerk reviews the application within 7 to 10 business days.
4. If it’s accepted, the Clerk calls you from a restricted number during business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) to verify both identities and take payment by credit card: $98 for the license and $8 for postage and handling, plus $43.50 if you want to prepay a certified copy.
5. The Clerk mails the license by USPS First Class within 3 business days of payment.

Do you need a divorce decree or a blood test?

No. The Clerk’s page says so in one line: “A copy of a divorce decree is not required; blood tests are not required.”

The closest thing to a health requirement is a statement in the affidavit. In it, you say you understand two things: the county health department has information on sexually transmitted diseases on request, and these diseases can be passed to children before birth (A.R.S. § 25-121).

If either of you divorced in another country and you’re not sure that divorce holds up here, that’s a legal question for an attorney.

How long is the license good for, and what happens after the ceremony?

It’s good for one year from the date it’s issued (A.R.S. § 25-121), and the Clerk says you can use it starting the day you get it.

Arizona law calls for a ceremony with “at least two witnesses who are at least eighteen years of age” (A.R.S. § 25-125). Under the same section, both of you, two of the witnesses and the person who marries you sign the license itself, so bring the original to the ceremony. If the license is lost before the wedding, you have to reapply and pay again (A.R.S. § 25-123).

After the wedding, the person who married you has 30 days to return the signed license to the Clerk for recording (A.R.S. § 25-123). When Didi is your bilingual wedding officiant in Phoenix, she handles the return.

Once the license is recorded, you can order a certified copy from the Clerk: $43.50 by mail, or $35.50 if you provide a business-size, self-addressed stamped envelope. You can pay for it when you apply for the license or any time after.

If you need that copy in Spanish, for example for an office in Mexico, we can translate your marriage certificate. Ask that office first what kind of translation it accepts.

License in hand? Reserve your ceremony

Didi is an ordained minister, and Arizona law authorizes ordained ministers to perform marriages (A.R.S. § 25-124). She performs weddings in Spanish, English or both at home or at the venue you choose in Arizona. At the end of the ceremony she signs the license, then returns it to the Clerk within 30 days.

Message us on WhatsApp at (602) 332-9460 with your date, city, venue and ceremony language, and we’ll confirm the price. Prefer email or a form? Contact us.

What this guide does not answer

This guide covers the license. It doesn’t tell you what marrying does to an immigration case, whether a divorce from another country is valid in Arizona, or what you should do in your situation.

Answering those questions is legal advice. For that, talk to an attorney or, on immigration matters, an accredited representative of an organization recognized by the Department of Justice.

EOIR, the Justice Department office that runs the immigration courts, publishes the roster of recognized organizations and accredited representatives. USCIS, the federal agency that handles immigration applications, explains how to find legal services.