How to Get A Marriage License in San Antonio

It is easy to get hitched in San Antonio. In today’s blog post, I’ll have everything you need to know for how to get a marriage license in San Antonio and have a justice of the peace officiate at your wedding.

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Quick Summary:

Start the process by submitting a marriage license request form online through the Bexar County Clerk website.
Once you have submitted your online marriage license application, you have to physically visit the Bexar County Clerk’s office to pay your fee and submit your identification.
Your marriage license is valid for 90 days. However, you have to wait 72 hours before your ceremony can begin.
To have a justice of the peace officiate your wedding ceremony, simply contact the justice directly.

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How to get a marriage license in San Antonio:

No matter where or how you plan to tie the knot, the first step is always to obtain your marriage license. San Antonio, like just about every other city across the country, starts the procedure with an easy, online form. Follow these instructions to receive your marriage license in San Antonio:

Go to the website — https://www.bexar.org/2957/Marriage-Licenses — and fill out the online form.
Once the form has been submitted online to the County Clerk’s office, you and your beloved must appear in person to the County Clerk’s office within four days’ time to formally request the marriage license. The address for the office is 101 W. Nueva Street, Suite 120.
Pay a fee of $80 for a regular marriage license (or $45 for an informal marriage license) by either cash or credit card. If you have taken the Twogether in Texas marriage preparation course and have your certificate, then you will receive a discount of $60 towards the price of your marriage license.

What is an informal marriage license?

An informal marriage license legally recognizes a common law marriage, which is a legal means of marriage in the state of Texas. Per section 2.401 of the Texas Family Code,

‘An informal marriage may be proved by the facts that the couple, ‘(1) agreed to be married; and (2) after the agreement they lived together in this state as husband and wife and there (3) represented to others that they were married.’

What is the Twogether in Texas marriage course?

The Twogether in Texas course is a premarital training class designed to make sure that couples have established a healthy relationship before they say, ‘I do.’ You can choose from a variety of service providers to select your specific course. Prices for the course vary depending upon the provider. To find a list of providers in your area, go to this website.

Search for Twogether in Texas providers: https://twogetherintexas.com/UI/RIAddresses.aspx

While the Twogether in Texas course curriculum is specifically provided by the state, if a couple is taking marriage counseling classes through their church, then these classes may also qualify for the certificate. The rule is that the church’s curriculum must be registered with Texas Health and Human Services. To verify that your counseling curriculum is approved, or for any questions regarding the Twogether in Texas course, send an email to hmp@HHSC.state.tx.us.

The advantages to taking the Twogether in Texas course are a $60 discount on the price of a marriage license, and waiving of the 72-hour ceremony waiting period.

What are the rules for getting married in Texas?

You must be 18 years of age or older and have proof of age and identity. If you are under the age of 18, then you must petition the court.
A marriage license may not be granted if you have been divorced within 30 days.
There is no blood test required.

What is the 72-hour waiting period?

The state of Texas requires a period of 72 hours between the time you are granted a marriage license and the time of your ceremony.

The waiting period can only be waived if you receive written permission from a judge, one of the applicants is an active-duty member of the military, you are remarrying each other, or if you have received a certificate of completion for the Twogether in Texas marriage counseling course.

What happens after I receive my marriage license?

Once you have your marriage license in hand, you have 90 days to arrange a wedding ceremony within any county in Texas. If you do not get married within the 90-day time frame, then you will have to request a new marriage license and pay the fee again.

For your wedding ceremony, you can go the traditional route and have an officiant marry you in a church or nondenominational ceremony. But if you are looking to elope down at City Hall, then you can make arrangements with the justice of the peace to have your marriage license made official.

How do I have a justice of the peace marry me?

The Bexar County Clerk’s office has a handy list of the four justices of the peace available to marry prospective couples. To schedule a ceremony with any of the justices, please contact the justices individually. You can find the contact information for each justice of the peace in the link above.

Which justice of the peace should I choose?

When you go to the website listing each justice of the peace, it is hard to glean any information about individual justices. Indeed, the only justice who has any substantial information on her website is justice Julie Bray Patterson. I spoke with the County Clerk’s office, and they assured me that the justices take cases equally, so you will be in good hands no matter who you choose.

What happens after the ceremony?

Once you have officially tied the knot, then the next step is to record your marriage license with the County Clerk. To record your license:

Visit the Bexar County Clerk’s Vital Statistics department and record your license in person. The department is located at 100 Dolorosa Street, Suite 104.
Mail your marriage license to the Vital Statistics Department.

And just like that, you are married! The city of San Antonio wants to make the process of declaring your love as easy as possible. They even offer mass weddings on Valentine’s Day. To find out more about the fun that was had this February 14th, check out my blog post here.

Accompanying this article are photos from my very last City Hall wedding with Tina and John. These two happy lovebirds tied the knot during some of the worst NYC weather: a mix of high humidity and nasty misting rain. Enjoy the images (and the good weather in San Antonio), and I’ll have more photo adventures for you next week!

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If you found this article on ‘How to Get a Marriage License in San Antonio’ useful, then check out my equally interesting ‘How to…’ articles here:

Are you interested in saying ‘I do’ on the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

If you would like to view photos from previous City Hall weddings I have photographed, check out links here, here, and here.

To view more images from my wedding photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com