Marriage License
For Yosemite WeddingsYou must bring a valid California Marriage License with you for your Yosemite wedding ceremony. A marriage license is required for any couple having a wedding, but not for a couple who are already married and are renewing
their marriage vows. Obtaining a marriage license in California is a rather simple matter. You do NOT need to be a California resident or U.S. citizen. Both the bride and groom must be present with their photo identification to obtain the license. Blood tests are not required, and there is no waiting period. The fee for the license may need to be paid in cash ~ usually about $60, but the cost varies from county to county. The Mariposa County Courthouse complex where the license is issued in Mariposa County is located on Bullion Street between 9th and 10th Streets in the town of Mariposa. It is about an hour's drive from Yosemite. The cost in Mariposa County is approximately $60.00. To obtain your marriage license you go to the Hall of Records across the street from the Mariposa County Courthouse, to the County Clerk's Office, 4982 10th Street, Mariposa, CA 95338. The nearest cross street is Bullion. You
might want to call the Mariposa office at 209.966.2007. They can answer other questions that you might have, and you can make sure that the office will be open at the time you plan to go there. There are two different types of marriage licenses in California: 1) A standard public California Marriage License which is valid for a Yosemite wedding may be obtained from the county offices in
any California county (including our own local office at the Mariposa County Courthouse complex in the town of Mariposa, phone 209.966.2007). Be sure to bring your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding. 2) A confidential California Marriage License must be obtained in the county where you will be married. For a wedding in Yosemite, a confidential license must be obtained here in Mariposa County,
at the Mariposa County Courthouse complex referred to above. Be sure to bring your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding. Especially For Foreign Couples
It is quite easy for you to be married in Yosemite. You do NOT need to be a California resident or U.S. citizen; there is no waiting period; and no blood tests are required. You will need to obtain your marriage license here in California before you actually arrive in Yosemite National Park, as there is not an office inside Yosemite that issues marriage licenses. You will receive the license the same day that you
apply for it (which usually requires about an hour of time, though that, of course, depends upon how busy the office is). Your marriage here will be a legal marriage, recognized by most other governments. You will need to go to any one of our county offices here in California that issues marriage licenses. Tell them that you will be getting married in Yosemite and that you want a standard public marriage license
. You will probably have to pay for it with cash ~ usually about $60, but the cost varies from county to county. It is less than that here in Mariposa County (see above). Be sure to bring your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding. (If you should plan to obtain a confidential marriage license rather than the standard public marriage license mentioned above, that
confidential license must be issued by the county in which you will be married, which, for Yosemite, is Mariposa County. Most couples obtain the standard public marriage license.) If you choose to, you can obtain your marriage license here in Mariposa County in the small town of Mariposa (which is about an hour's drive from Yosemite). You might want to call the Mariposa office at 209.966.2007. They can answer other questions that you might have, and
you can make sure that the office will be open at the time you plan to go there. To obtain your marriage license you go to the Hall of Records across the street from the Mariposa County Courthouse, to the County Clerk's Office, 4982 10th Street, Mariposa, CA 95338. The nearest cross street is Bullion. Items you should take with you to the county office: 1) You should each
bring two pieces of identification that have your photos on them (such as passports, driver's licenses or other identification). 2) If you have copies of your birth certificates, you may want to bring them, too. 3) If there has been a previous marriage for either of you, you should bring a paper stating the date of the dissolution of that previous marriage (when the previous marriage legally ended), or at least you should know
what the date of the dissolution was. Be sure to bring your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding. | 
