Guide to Washington Marriage Records

Washington marriage records are official records documenting the licensing and solemnization of a marriage. These records may contain varying depths of detail depending on the record type and year. However, generally, requesters for these records can find information such as the spouses' names, residences, marriage date and location, witnesses' names, officiant information, and details about the marriage license.

Marriage licenses and marriage certificates are often referred to as marriage records; however, these terms have different meanings. A marriage license is a document obtained before the marriage ceremony, authorizing a couple to marry with state permission. A marriage certificate, on the other hand, documents that the marriage ceremony has occurred and has been appropriately completed and recorded with the state. Generally, a marriage record is a broad term for official documents and other records relating to a marriage.

People search Washington marriage records for different purposes, including:

• Legal purposes: For proving marital status for state and federal compliance, including immigration petitions, tax filings, and employer-sponsored health insurance enrollments.
• Genealogical and family history: For tracking ancestral lineages and establishing familial relationships.
• Name changes: Required by government entities as proof of updating names on driver's license, passport, or Social Security record.
• Divorce or estate matters: For establishing marriage dates and spousal identity for divorce filings, wills, or inheritance disputes.

Types of Marriage Records in Washington

Washington marriage records are typically available as certificates and licenses.

Marriage Certificates

A marriage certificate is an official record indicating that a marriage ceremony took place. According to RCW 26.04.080, a Washington marriage certificate may include the names and residences of the parties, information about at least two witnesses, the time and location of the marriage, and the date and issuing authority of the marriage license.

A certified copy of this record can serve as official proof of marriage for legal name changes, immigration, and other administrative purposes.

Certified marriage certificates in the Evergreen State are issued by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for marriages that occurred between 1968 and now. Requesters may also obtain certified copies from the county auditor or recorder holding the record.

Marriage Licenses

A Washington marriage license is the authorization required of a couple before they can marry in the state. It differs from a marriage certificate in that it is issued before a marriage, whereas the certificate is issued after a marriage has taken place.

Under RCW 26.04.140, county auditors are authorized to issue a marriage license. A Washington marriage license is valid for 60 days.

Are Marriage Records Public in Washington?

Washington marriage records are generally public. State law makes marriage license applications open to public inspection. Hence, the Department of Health allows members of the public to order a marriage certificate without submitting proof of identity or a qualifying relationship to the spouses.

Sensitive information in marriage records, such as Social Security numbers and medical test details, is not disclosed in public marriage record searches.

Note that historical records held by the state archives or county offices remain open records.

What Information Is Included in a Marriage Record?

A Washington marriage record may include:

• Full names of the spouses
• Marriage date and location
• The county associated with the marriage
• Marriage license or recording information
• Name or information of the officiant
• Names or information of at least two witnesses
• Residences of the spouses
• Date the marriage license was issued and the issuing county auditor

However, additional information may appear on a historical Washington marriage record, including age, birthplace, marital status, and other details collected when the license was issued.

How to Find Marriage Records in Washington

Step 1: Identify the Marriage Details

Before searching for a Washington marriage record, gather important identifiers, such as the full names of both spouses, approximate marriage dates, and the county or city where the marriage took place.

Step 2: Find the Record Custodian

Marriage records in the state are available in the following locations:

• Washington State Department of Health: This agency is the statewide custodian for marriages held between 1968 to present.
• County Auditor: For marriages held before 1968, the county auditor (or Recorder in King County) in the county of marriage is the custodian.
• County Archives: Some Washington counties maintain their own historical archives separate from current auditor offices.

Step 3: Choose How to Search

Applications for marriage records can be submitted via the following options:

• Online: Through the Department of Health's ordering portal or its approved vendor, VitalChek, or the Washington State Digital.
• By mail: Mail a completed application form to the Department of Health or the appropriate county auditor's office. The DOH address is

• In person: At county recorder or auditor offices that provide counter service.
• Third-party databases: Older records may be accessed on non-certified indexed sites such as FamilySearch.

Step 4: Submit a Record Request

To find the record you need, you must provide the required information in an application and pay the applicable fee. Identification and proof of relationship are not required for a marriage certificate.

Note that the fee starts at $25 for a certified copy (printed on security paper with a raised seal and valid for legal use) or a noncertified copy (printed on plain paper and useful for personal reference). County-level search fees range from $5 to $15.

Online orders generally process and ship within 7 business days, while mail orders may take up to 8 weeks. However, county fees and processing times vary.

How to Get a Certified Marriage Certificate in Washington

Since Washington is an open-records state for marriages, any applicant who provides the required record details and pays the processing fee can receive a certified copy of a marriage record. No submission of a government-issued photo ID or other identification proof is required to access a marriage record.

Washington marriage certificates can be ordered online or by phone through the state's approved third-party vendor (VitalChek). Alternatively, requesters may submit their applications by mail. For in-person requests, contact the county auditor or recorder to maintain the record.

There is a base $25 fee per copy of a Washington marriage record. Additional DOH processing, vendor, or shipping fees may increase the base fee. For county-certified copies, state law sets a $3 first-page charge and $1 per additional page for preparation and certification.

For online orders placed through the approved third-party vendor, processing and shipping take 3-7 business days after the Department of Health (DOH) receives the order. Mail-in orders may take up to 8 weeks to process and ship.

Note that the DOH warns it may take up to 5 months for recent marriages to be reflected in the state system. During that period, the DOH states that the county auditor or recorder who issued the license may be a better source for obtaining a marriage record.

Certified copies of Washington marriage certificates can be used as official proof of marriage for name changes, insurance, financial, court, or other administrative purposes where evidence of marriage is required.

How to Get a Marriage License in Washington

County auditor or recorder offices in Washington are authorized to issue marriage licenses. Regardless of where a marriage license was obtained in the Evergreen State, it can be used in other locations in Washington. However, the marriage must be recorded in the county where the license was purchased.

Application methods for a marriage license differ by county and may include in-person, mail, or partially online procedures. For example, King County's marriage licensing office accepts in-person and mailed applications and allows applicants to begin an application online. Similarly, county procedures may require government-issued identification to confirm names and ages. Examples of identification requirements required for the license application include a driver's license, a state ID card, a passport, or a military ID.

Note that marriage license applicants are not required to be residents of Washington to apply. However, the ceremony must occur within the state. Also, the state requires both applicants to be at least 18 years old to be eligible to apply. State law mandates that marriages entered into on or after June 6, 2024, in which either person is under 18, are void.

Depending on the county where an application is submitted, a Washington marriage license costs between $145 and $175. For instance, King County charges $169, Pierce County charges $172, while Columbia County charges $145. Some counties do not accept personal checks, while others accept credit cards or cash only.

A marriage license is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance, but the state mandates a strict 3-day waiting period after issuance before the applicants may use it.

A Washington marriage ceremony must be performed by an authorized officiant, such as a court commissioner or a licensed or ordained minister, priest, imam, rabbi, or similar religious official listed under RCW 26.04.050. Furthermore, at least 2 witnesses must be present at a wedding ceremony, with the minimum witness age set at the county level but commonly ranging from about 12 to 18 years old.

Who Can Request Marriage Records?

Washington has broad access rules for marriage records. Hence, such records may be requested by the following persons:

• Spouses: Either spouse may request a copy.
• Immediate family members: Family members may request a copy.
• Authorized representatives: A representative may obtain the record.
• Government agencies: Agencies may obtain records when needed for official purposes.
• Attorneys or other authorized parties: They may request copies without proving a special relationship to the spouses.
• Genealogists and researchers: Researchers may use public indexes, archival collections, and marriage certificates.
• Other third parties: A member of the public may request a Washington marriage certificate.

Free and Online Marriage Record Searches

Obtaining noncertified and certified copies of recent Washington marriage records requires a fee. However, older and historical records may be available online for free. Examples include the following:

• Official State and County Databases:
  • Washington State Digital Archives: This platform provides free online searching across several marriage record collections. Depending on the county, you may be able to search and view marriage indexes from the mid- 1800s to modern collections for free.
  • County Auditor Online Portals: Large counties such as Pierce, King, and Snohomish provide free online public indexes to search records by name or document number for free.
• Historical and Genealogy Databases
  • FamilySearch: This site provides free access to a large index of Washington county records from 1969 to 2014.

Using these tools, researchers may view names, marriage dates, issuing counties, and document reference numbers at no cost. Note that the details obtained via these indexes are informational and cannot be used for legal purposes.

Common Law Marriage in Washington

Common law marriages have been abolished in Washington since 1892. Hence, there are no Washington requirements, such as a specific number of years of cohabitation, that can establish a common-law marriage within the state.

However, the state may recognize a common-law marriage that was validly established under the law of another state or jurisdiction.

Therefore, if a common-law marriage was established in another state, evidence of the relationship generally comes from the law and records of that jurisdiction, and not from a Washington county marriage record.

How to Correct an Error on a Marriage Record

Errors in a spouse's first or last name, incorrect birthdates or birthplaces, or mistakes by the officiant regarding the ceremony date or place are common in Washington marriage records. Amendments can only be made to marriage certificates that occurred in the state from 1968 to the present.

An amendment applicant may be requested by either spouse listed on the record or by the marriage officiant who signed the original marriage certificate. The officiant named on the marriage record may change only the date and place of marriage.

To correct an error on a marriage record, an applicant must submit a copy of their government-issued photo ID card, an acceptable proof document, and a completed Affidavit for Correction by mail or in person to:

Note that a proof document must show the facts that are being requested to be corrected. It must match exactly the correction requested on the Affidavit for Correction.

Per Washington DOH rules, applicants who already have a certified copy issued within the past year can submit the certificate with the correction request and have it exchanged at no charge. For older records, the state charges an amendment processing fee ($25), which may include one updated certified copy.

The DOH currently estimates a 4-month processing time for mailed marriage-certificate corrections.

Marriage Records and Name Changes

Certified copies of marriage certificates are used as standard proof when updating a name with government agencies and financial institutions after marriage. The Social Security Administration, the Washington State Department of Licensing, the U.S. Department of State, and financial institutions typically require a certified copy of a marriage certificate from name-change applicants to update their records.

However, changing names on the record with these agencies is not the same as correcting an error on a marriage record. Changing a name updates an individual's identity across government networks, using a marriage certificate as proof. However, updating a marriage record is an amendment process used to fix an error when the document was first filed.

Marriage Records for Genealogy and Family History

Pre-1968 marriage records in Washington are held at the county level and, for many counties, have been transferred to the Washington State Archives or its regional branches. The Washington State Digital Archives hosts searchable indexes and, for many older records, digitized images of original marriage documents from multiple counties.

Furthermore, several counties maintain their own historical record rooms containing older marriage records. Genealogists using these platforms to search historical records have the option to search records by spouse’s name, approximate date, and county.

Note that historical marriage record collections are not always complete. This is because some counties have missing years, incomplete indexes, or only selected document images. Therefore, researchers should check both county archives and state archives before concluding that no record exists.

Frequently Asked Questions