Every marriage in this Commonwealth shall be under a license and solemnized in the manner provided by law. A marriage license is issued by the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office of any city or county in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Application for Marriage

The Application for Marriage License form is available in PDF format. Click on the Application for Marriage License Form located to the right to view and print. 

Both the bride and groom are encouraged to complete the form prior to arriving at the Clerk's Office. This will save considerable time in the processing of your application.

Certified copy of a marriage license:
You may obtain a certified copy of a marriage license from the Circuit Court Clerk's Office that issued the marriage license. You may make the request in person or by mail.

To request a certified copy of your marriage license by mail, complete the Certified Copy of Marriage License Form located in the upper right corner of this page and mail it to:

Virginia Beach Circuit Court Clerk's Office
Attention Marriage Licenses
2425 Nimmo Parkway  Build 10-B 3rd Floor
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23456

Be certain to include the following when submitting the form to the Clerk's Office:

• The full name of the groom
• The full name of the bride
• The date of the marriage
• The place of marriage
• A money order, certified check or in-state personal check, in the amount of $2.50 per EACH copy, made payable to the "Circuit Court Clerk" 
• A self-addressed stamped envelope.

  (Virginia Code Annotated, §20-20)

General Information

• License is issued by the Circuit Court Clerk of any city or county in the State of Virginia.
• Out-of-state-residents may apply at any Clerk's Office throughout the State.
• The Virginia Beach Circuit Court Clerk's Office is located at the , Building 10B, 3rd Floor.
• You should plan to arrive in our office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and no later than 4:30 p.m. to allow sufficient time for the Clerk's staff to prepare your marriage license.
• No blood tests or witnesses are required.
• The license must be used within 60 days of the date of issue or it will expire.
• Both parties must be present to obtain a marriage license.
• The Clerk's Office requires some form of identification from each person, such as a driver's license, military I.D., or a certified copy of a birth certificate.
• The fee for the license is $30.00 in cash. CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
• The minimum age is 16 years old for the bride or groom (Virginia Code Section 20-48) ; however; anyone under the age of 18 must have written, notarized consent from a parent or their legal guardian (Virginia Code Section 20-49) .
• For divorced persons, there is no statutory waiting period before remarriage after the divorce is final unless remarriage is specifically prohibited by a Court. A copy of the divorce decree is not required when applying for a license.

Certain marriages are prohibited

A marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties; (Virginia Code Section 20-38.1)

• A marriage between an ancestor and descendant, or between a brother and a sister, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption; (Virginia Code Section 20-38.1)
• A marriage between an uncle and a niece or between an aunt and a nephew, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood; (Virginia Code Section 20-38.1)
• When either of the parties lacks capacity to consent to the marriage because of mental incapacity or infirmity; (Virginia Code Section 20-43)
• Bigamous marriage; (Virginia Code Section 20-43)
• A marriage between persons of the same sex. (Virginia Code Section 20-45.2)

The Virginia General Assembly is offering access to the Code of Virginia on the Internet as a service to the public. We are unable to assist users of this service with legal questions nor respond to requests for legal advice or the application of the law to specific facts. Therefore, to understand and protect your legal rights, you should consult an attorney.

Persons Authorized to Perform Marriages

The following commissioners have been appointed by the Virginia Beach Circuit Court to celebrate the rites of marriage:

Allen Sokolik
4483 Nanney's Creek Court
Virginia Beach, VA 23457
(757) 721-4608
Email: amarcom@aol.com
Web site: www.virginiabeachmarriage.com

George R. Hale
3737 Little Neck Point
Virginia Beach,Virginia 23452-4709
(757) 306-7091

Harold H. McGee
437 Lake Drive
Virginia Beach VA 23451
(757) 491-9177 (Marriage Commissioner Line)
(757) 472-3131 (cell phone)

J. Curtis Payne
2545 Hartley Street
Virginia Beach VA 23456
(757) 430-9495 (home)
(757) 621-8517 (cell phone)
e-mail: xvbmayor@verizon.net

Appointment of a minister to perform your marriage:
If the bride and groom have a minister they would like to perform their marriage, such minister must be authorized, before performing the marriage, by providing to the Clerk of Circuit Court proof of his ordination and of his being in regular communion with the religious society of which he was ordained. This must be in writing by the senor pastor of the church the minister is affiliated with.