Getting started with Marriage Information for Illinois
Before you plan to perform a wedding in Illinois, it is important to understand the state's legal requirements.
To get started, check out the information provided below for getting ordained and registering as a wedding officiant in Illinois.
If you have questions, please go to our helpful FAQ. For more information or support, please visit our contact us page.
Step 1: Become Ordained for Illinois
To get ordained and become a minister to perform ceremonies in Illinois, start by completing our ordination application.
Once you have completed the application for ordination you will be sent an email that confirms your ordination. Our ordinations for Illinois are completely free, granted to you for life and can be completed in less than a day. More than half a million people just like you, have registered and received their license to perform weddings.
If you have not completed the application, you can get ordained for free and start your journey as an authorized minister in Illinois with Open Ministry by using the button below!
Step 2: Contact The Illinois County Clerk
Next, contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk in Illinois). Let them know that you are an ordained minister with Open Ministry in California, and ask them what information they require of you, to officiate a marriage in Illinois.
Clerks and governing agencies may require you to present them with a physical copy of your ordination record to register we offer packages which include bundled items at a discount.
When speaking with the Illinois county clerk it can be helpful to use the following phrases:
- I am an ordained minister with a church ministry in California.
- I would like to register as a wedding Officiant in your county to perform and solemnize weddings.
- What agency or department issues marriage licenses in your county and how may I contact them?
- I have my Letter of Good Standing and Ordination Credential as proof of my ministry and ordination for Illinois.
- Do you require any additional documentation for me to register as a wedding officiant in Illinois?
Step 3: Register with the Illinois Clerk
After you've contacted the marriage authority in Illinois, we recommend that you visit the bookstore to get your official credentials for your records, presentation or registration.
See Illinois State Statutes for More specific Requirements
When registering as an officiant in Illinois, you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the Illinois county clerk's office before they will accept the marriage license as having been solemnized. We generally advise ministers of Illinois to get a Complete Membership Package for Illinois which includes a Letter of Good Standing (the live signed and notarized physical copy of your good standing with our ministry) an Ordination Credential, Minister Wallet Card and much more.
Having physical copies of your credentials provides peace of mind for couples and others that you intend to marry. Additionally, we recommend you give yourself at least 4 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your credential request to ensure that you receive all of your materials to register in time.
Please note, that any state or county can impose different requirements;
this may include other nominal fees and additional paperwork that may need to
be completed before the ceremony can take place.
It is important to note that some county clerks in Illinois may require wedding
officiants to attach a statement which asserts some of the elements in the
marriage license upon submission, including the following:
- The time and location at which the wedding took place
- The names and places of residence of all official witnesses
- The religious organization in which the officiant is ordained
- The printed name and address of the officiant
When filling out the Illinois marriage license, Illinois state or the clerk may
request you use the title "Minister" or "Reverend".
The clerk may also require you enter your denomination, you can use
"Non-Denominational" or your practicing denomination. Failing to
state a denomination may result in rejection and could require a duplicate
marriage license.
Step 4: Perform the Ceremony
Before you perform a wedding in Illinois, be sure that the couple has picked up their Illinois state issued marriage license from the appropriate office. Once you have completed the steps listed, you are ready to perform the wedding!
Officiating a wedding in Illinois can be a great and wonderful experience. Work with the couple to determine the proper ceremony format and any details they wish to have. For ideas and inspiration check out our sample ceremony scripts.
We recommend that new ministers who are going to be performing a wedding in Illinois, or who have questions about the ceremony read over our Officiant Guide.
Step 5: Submit the Illinois Marriage License
Illinois marriage licenses are valid for a set number of days, and there may be a waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Illinois and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Illinois.
This information is generally written on the license and must be followed to ensure the ceremony is recorded properly by Illinois.
Please note that the signed marriage license for Illinois must be returned to the issuing office in Illinois state, before the time limit is reached. You can check the marriage license for the exact dates.
After the ceremony, you will need to return the completed and signed marriage license to the Illinois states issuing office. This is essential for the marriage to be legally recorded. In most cases there is an address listed on the marriage license, use that to mail it back to the governing agency so that it can be recorded by the Illinois.
If you have any questions about the returning of the license, contact the Illinois agency that issued it for more information.
Illinois State Minister & Marriage Statutes
209 Solemnization and Registration
(a) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a retired judge of a court of record, unless the retired judge was removed from office by the Judicial Inquiry Board, except that a retired judge shall not receive any compensation from the State, a county or any unit of local government in return for the solemnization of a marriage and there shall be no effect upon any pension benefits conferred by the Judges Retirement System of Illinois, by a judge of the Court of Claims, by a county clerk in counties having 2,000,000 or more inhabitants, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, or in accordance with the prescriptions of any religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group, provided that when such prescriptions require an officiant, the officiant be in good standing with his religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage, or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, both parties to the marriage, shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk within 10 days after such marriage is solemnized.
(b) The solemnization of the marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it, if either party to the marriage believed him to be so qualified or by the fact that the marriage was inadvertently solemnized in a county in Illinois other than the county where the license was issued.
Rights and Remedies - Chapter 750. Families - 5. Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act - Part II. Marriage
(Source: P.A. 95?775, eff. 1?1?09.)