Getting started with Marriage Information for Virginia
Before you plan to perform a wedding in Virginia, 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 Virginia.
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 Virginia
To get ordained and become a minister to perform ceremonies in Virginia, 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 Virginia 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 Virginia with Open Ministry by using the button below!
Step 2: Contact The Virginia County Clerk
Next, contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk in Virginia). 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 Virginia.
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 Virginia 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 Virginia.
- Do you require any additional documentation for me to register as a wedding officiant in Virginia?
Step 3: Register with the Virginia Clerk
After you've contacted the marriage authority in Virginia, we recommend that you visit the bookstore to get your official credentials for your records, presentation or registration.
See Virginia State Statutes for More specific Requirements
When registering as an officiant in Virginia, you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the Virginia county clerk's office before they will accept the marriage license as having been solemnized. We generally advise ministers of Virginia to get a Complete Membership Package for Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia marriage license, Virginia 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 Virginia, be sure that the couple has picked up their Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia, or who have questions about the ceremony read over our Officiant Guide.
Step 5: Submit the Virginia Marriage License
Virginia 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 Virginia and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Virginia.
This information is generally written on the license and must be followed to ensure the ceremony is recorded properly by Virginia.
Please note that the signed marriage license for Virginia must be returned to the issuing office in Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia.
If you have any questions about the returning of the license, contact the Virginia agency that issued it for more information.
Virginia State Minister & Marriage Statutes
20-23 Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony
When a minister of any religious denomination shall produce before the circuit court of any county or city in this Commonwealth, or before the judge of such court or before the clerk of such court at any time, proof of his ordination and of his being in regular communion with the religious society of which he is a reputed member, or proof that he holds a local minister's license and is serving as a regularly appointed pastor in his denomination, such court, or the judge thereof, or the clerk of such court at any time, may make an order authorizing such minister to celebrate the rites of matrimony in this Commonwealth. Any order made under this section may be rescinded at any time by the court or by the judge thereof.
Title 20: Domestic Relations - Chapter 2: Marriage Generally
(Code 1919, §§ 5079, 5080; 1962, c. 362; 1980, c. 154; 1981, c. 295.)
20-23 Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony
When a minister of any religious denomination shall produce before the circuit court of any county or city in this Commonwealth, or before the judge of such court or before the clerk of such court at any time, proof of his ordination and of his being in regular communion with the religious society of which he is a reputed member, or proof that he holds a local minister's license and is serving as a regularly appointed pastor in his denomination, such court, or the judge thereof, or the clerk of such court at any time, may make an order authorizing such minister to celebrate the rites of matrimony in this Commonwealth. Any order made under this section may be rescinded at any time by the court or by the judge thereof.
Title 20: Domestic Relations - Chapter 2: Marriage Generally
(Code 1919, §§ 5079, 5080; 1962, c. 362; 1980, c. 154; 1981, c. 295.)
20-26 Marriage between members of religious society having no minister
Marriages between persons belonging to any religious society which has no ordained minister, may be solemnized by the persons and in the manner prescribed by and practiced in any such society. One person chosen by the society shall be responsible for completing the certification of marriage in the same manner as a minister or other person authorized to perform marriages; such person chosen by the society for this purpose shall be required to execute a bond in the penalty of $500, with surety.
Title 20: Domestic Relations - Chapter 2: Marriage Generally
(Code 1919, § 5081; 1968, c. 318; 1981, c. 295.)