Nevada State Marriage Law & Information

Most counties in Nevada will require your official credentials to register

Nevada Marriage Law

PLEASE NOTE: The county clerk in Las Vegas requires this Letter of Good Standing and Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriages to register as a Wedding Officiant. ***If you are not a resident of California you may encounter difficulties when registering to perform weddings in Nevada. Your ordination is still valid in the state to perform ministerial duties, however your may be restricted on the ability to solemnize weddings. We are working with the Secretary of State to resolve this, however due to the complexities of the Nevada State Code, we are unable to provide a time line for this matter.

Nevada Revised Statutes

NRS 122.062

Licensed or ordained ministers and chaplains of Armed Forces to obtain certificates from county clerk; temporary replacements; solemnization by minister licensed or ordained in another state.
- Any licensed or ordained minister in good standing within his denomination, whose denomination, governing body and church, or any of them, are incorporated or organized or established in this state, may join together as husband and wife persons who present a marriage license obtained from any county clerk of the State, if the minister first obtains a certificate of permission to perform marriages as provided in this section and NRS 122.064 to 122.073, inclusive. The fact that a minister is retired does not disqualify him from obtaining a certificate of permission to perform marriages if, before his retirement, he had active charge of a congregation within this state for a period of at least 3 years.
- A temporary replacement for a licensed or ordained minister certified pursuant to this section and NRS 122.064 to 122.073, inclusive, may solemnize marriages pursuant to subsection 1 during such time as he may be authorized to do so by the county clerk in the county in which he is a temporary replacement, for a period not to exceed 90 days. The minister whom he temporarily replaces shall provide him with a written authorization which states the period during which it is effective.
- Any chaplain who is assigned to duty in this state by the Armed Forces of the United States may solemnize marriages if he obtains a certificate of permission to perform marriages from the county clerk of the county in which his duty station is located. The county clerk shall issue such a certificate to a chaplain upon proof by him of his military status as a chaplain and of his assignment.
- A county clerk may authorize a licensed or ordained minister whose congregation is in another state to perform marriages in the county if the county clerk satisfies himself that the minister is in good standing with his denomination or church. The authorization must be in writing and need not be filed with any other public officer. A separate authorization is required for each marriage performed. Such a minister may perform not more than five marriages in this state in any calendar year.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1289; A 1969, 37; 1993, 1462; 1997, 2040; 1999, 520, 541)

NRS 122.064

Initial application for certificate: Form; required information. [Effective until the date of the repeal of the federal law requiring each state to establish procedures for withholding, suspending and restricting the professional, occupational and recreational licenses for child support arrearages and for noncompliance with certain processes relating to paternity or child support proceedings.]

A certificate of permission may be obtained only from the county clerk of the county in which the minister resides, after the filing of a proper application. The initial application must:
- Be in writing and be verified by the applicant or his superior.
- Include the date of licensure or ordination, or both, of the minister, and the name of the denomination, governing body and church, or any of them, with which he is affiliated.
- Include the social security number of the applicant.
- Be accompanied by two copies of the denominational standing of the applicant, one of which the county clerk shall file with the Secretary of State.
To determine the qualifications of any minister who has filed an application for a certificate, the county clerk with whom the application has been filed may require:
- The congregation of the minister to furnish any evidence which the county clerk considers necessary or helpful.
- The district attorney and the sheriff to conduct an investigation of the background and present activities of the minister.
In addition to the requirement of good standing, the county clerk shall, before approving an initial application, satisfy himself that:
- The applicant’s ministry is primarily one of service to his congregation or denomination, and that his performance of marriages will be incidental to that service, or, in the case of a retired minister, that his active ministry was of such a nature.
- No certificate previously issued to the applicant has been cancelled for a knowing violation of the laws of this state or of the United States.
- The applicant has not been convicted of a felony, been released from confinement or completed his parole or probation, whichever occurs later, within 10 years before the date of the application.
The county clerk may require any applicant to submit information in addition to the information required by this section.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1290; A 1969, 91; 1977, 457; 1997, 2041)

NRS 122.073

Additional regulations by county clerk.

Each county clerk may prescribe additional regulations, which shall not conflict with the provisions of this chapter, relating to the issuance and revocation of certificates of permission.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1291)

NRS 122.090

Marriage solemnized by unauthorized person: When valid.

No marriage solemnized before any person professing to be a judge, justice, minister, commissioner of civil marriages or deputy commissioner of civil marriages shall be deemed or adjudged to be void, nor shall the validity thereof be in any way affected on account of any want of jurisdiction or authority, provided it be consummated with a full belief on the part of the persons so married, or either of them, that they have been lawfully joined in marriage.

[13:33:1861; B § 206; BH § 482; C § 493; RL § 2349; NCL § 4061]—(NRS A 1969, 764)

Marriage License Agency: County Clerk
Common Law: No
Civil Union: No
Duration of Marriage Licence: 1 Year

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