Marriage License Details
California
Marriage License
for
Yosemite Weddings
Both U.S. and Non-U.S. Residents
(Updated: December 21, 2021)
A PACKAGE FEATURE
This informational resource is
provided for you as part of your
NOTE: While our goal is to always keep venue and vendor information up to date, it does change frequently here in Yosemite. If you should receive new information, we would really appreciate it if you would be willing to forward that to us. Thanks so much for your help!
URGENT NOTE ~ APPOINTMENT:
You'll want to
call one of our
California County offices that issues
Marriage Licenses and
make an APPOINTMENT with them for the
two of you to
come there with your ID to apply for and obtain your Marriage License
in ADVANCE of your wedding. If you wish, you can make those arrangements at our local Mariposa County office (see contact information below).
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You must BRING a California Marriage License with you to Yosemite
for your Yosemite wedding ceremony. The marriage license is valid for 90 days ONLY from the date it is issued.
NOTE: 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).
You do NOT need to be a California resident or U.S. citizen.
Your marriage here will be a
legal marriage, recognized by all the other U.S. States, as well as most foreign governments.
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). Marriage licenses are issued in each California county at the designated office(s).
Both persons must be present to obtain the license.
Tell the office that you will be getting married in Yosemite. Again, to obtain your CALIFORNIA marriage license you BOTH need to go prior to your wedding to ANY county office in CALIFORNIA that issues marriage licenses (WEEKDAYS only ~ but NOT on a holiday).
IMPORTANT: You'll want to CALL the California county office where you are planning to obtain your marriage license ~ PRIOR to firming up your California travel plans ~ to make sure that office will be OPEN at the time you plan to be there, as well as the LATEST time of the day that you can start the application process in order to obtain your license that SAME DAY. Also, ask them about any and all procedures and any related paperwork, including pieces of ID, that you will need.
Blood tests are
not
required, and there is
no waiting period. It typically entails about an hour of your time at the county office, though that, of course, depends upon how busy the office is. The
fee
for the license will vary from county to county and
may need to be paid in cash. Be sure to
ask them about the fee.
Both of you need to
bring photo ID that indicates your date of birth (usually a driver's license or passport).
If either person has been
previously married, and if the dissolution was finalized within the past 90 days, bring along a copy of the final dissolution papers.
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There are TWO different types of marriage licenses in California:
1)
A Public California Marriage License. This license requires at least one witness* at the ceremony
in addition to the minister.
2)
A Confidential California Marriage License. This license does NOT require a witness* at the ceremony
~ which couples often prefer here in Yosemite ~ allowing for an intimate ceremony with just the two of them and the minister.
HOWEVER, a CONFIDENTIAL CALIFORNIA MARRIAGE LICENSE MUST BE OBTAINED HERE in MARIPOSA COUNTY (the county in which Yosemite is located).
*A
witness MAY
or
MAY NOT
be required at the ceremony, depending upon the type of California marriage license a couple has brought with them to Yosemite (see the
two types of California marriage licenses referenced above). NOTE:
A
witness
can be a
visitor to Yosemite
whom we recruit as a volunteer for your Yosemite wedding. Visitors are quite delighted to be invited to do this.
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Be sure to BRING your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding <=
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You can call our local Mariposa County office (closest office to Yosemite)
at
1.209.966.2007. They can answer any questions that you might have; and, if you plan to go to that particular county office, you can
make an APPOINTMENT TIME to obtain your Marriage License.
The
Mariposa County Courthouse
complex, where marriage licenses are issued here in Mariposa County, is the
nearest location where you can obtain a marriage license, and is along the Highway 140 route into Yosemite. It is located on
Bullion Street between 9th and 10th Streets
in the town of
Mariposa. It is
about a 90 minute drive from Yosemite Valley. Marriage licenses are issued at the
County Clerk's Office at the
Hall of Records
across the street from the
Mariposa County Courthouse, 4982 10th Street, Mariposa, CA 95338. The
nearest cross street is Bullion Street.
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The
closest office to the Highway 120 route into Yosemite
is:
Tuolumne County Clerk/Recorder´s Office
2 South Green Street, Second Floor
Sonora, CA 95370
Monday through Friday (excluding holidays)
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After your wedding your officiant will facilitate the completion of your marriage license. It is then returned to and filed at the same county office where you obtained it.
(NOTE: The office will NOT notify you when the license has been filed.)
You can request an
optional certified copy
of your marriage license (which is usually about $15) ~ that you can obtain
by mail
or
in person
at the
same office
where you applied for your license. That county office will provide information about the
optional certified copy at the time that you obtain your marriage license.
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=> Be sure to BRING your marriage license with you to your Yosemite wedding <=