Missouri Marriage Laws
Written and edited for accuracy by the Missouri marriage law researchers at the Universal Life Church on
If your dream Midwestern wedding includes pretty water fountains, cool jazz and mouth watering Kansas City-style BBQ, Missouri is the state for you. Still, you'll want to take a look at Missouri’s marriage laws before packing. In keeping with the Show-Me State’s nickname, we at the Universal Life Church have gone ahead and done the legal legwork for you. We’ve sifted through the relevant laws and highlighted all the steps necessary for both couples and ministers in the following chronological guide, designed to pretty much guarantee you a legally binding marriage without issue.
Requirements for the Minister
- Min. Age of Minister:
- Age 18
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Document(s) Required:
- Varies by County
- Online Ordination Recognized:
- Yes
- Relevant Office of Registration:
- Recorder of Deeds
- Latest Document(s) Submission Date Allowed:
- Before the Ceremony
- Minister I.D. # Issued:
- No
State of Missouri law authorizes judges, mayor, notaries and tribal judges, as well as all recognized members of all religious denominations, Native American nations or tribes, to solemnize marriages on its soil, provided they are at least 18 years old. This includes ministers ordained online by the Universal Life Church, who are legally sanctioned to solemnize weddings. ULC ministers in Missouri have reported that the Classic Wedding Package was helpful in the registration process, as it provides all the official documentation a minister might need to show their status.
40-1-301. Solemnization and registration. (1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by a mayor, city judge, or justice of the peace, by a notary public authorized pursuant to 1-5-630, by a tribal judge, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination, Indian nation or tribe, or native group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the clerk of the district court.
Wedding Ceremony Requirements
- Marriage By Proxy Allowed:
- No
- Minister Required to be Present:
- Yes
While the state of Missouri allows for a wide range of civil and religious ceremonies, in line with the values and traditions of the couple, it does require that each member of the couple declare their formal intent to take the other as husband or wife before the minister and at least two witnesses at some point in the ceremony. Once the minister pronounces both married, the state considers that marriage solemnized and binding.
193.185. Marriage report — certification. — 1. A report of each marriage performed in this state shall be filed with the department and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this section.
2. The official who issues the marriage license shall prepare the report on the form prescribed and furnished by the state registrar upon the basis of information obtained from one of the parties to be married.
3. Each person who performs a marriage shall certify the fact of marriage and return the license to the official who issued the license within fifteen days after the ceremony. This license shall be signed by the witnesses to the ceremony. A marriage certificate shall be given to the parties.
4. Every official issuing marriage licenses shall complete and forward to the department on or before the fifteenth day of each calendar month the reports of marriages returned to such official during the preceding calendar month.
Marriage License Requirements
The state of Missouri requires couples present themselves, in person, before a county clerk or recorder of deeds. Once social security numbers have been provided, and the applicants’ full names and addresses verified with a simple photo ID, a marriage license will be issued without further proof of divorce or any demands for blood tests.
A marriage license issued in Missouri is valid in any county in the state. The fee will vary from county to county, although no less than $45.
193.185. Marriage report — certification. — 1. A report of each marriage performed in this state shall be filed with the department and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this section.
2. The official who issues the marriage license shall prepare the report on the form prescribed and furnished by the state registrar upon the basis of information obtained from one of the parties to be married.
3. Each person who performs a marriage shall certify the fact of marriage and return the license to the official who issued the license within fifteen days after the ceremony. This license shall be signed by the witnesses to the ceremony. A marriage certificate shall be given to the parties.
4. Every official issuing marriage licenses shall complete and forward to the department on or before the fifteenth day of each calendar month the reports of marriages returned to such official during the preceding calendar month.
Marriage License Facts
- ULC-Officiated Ceremony Type:
- Religious
- Mandatory Waiting Period:
- None
- License Valid For:
- 30 Days
- License Must Be Submitted:
- Within 15 Days of Ceremony
A marriage license issued in the state of Missouri will be valid for a period of 30 days. No marriage contracted on its soil shall be deemed valid without it.
The state also requires that the ceremony be solemnized by a person authorized by law to do so, whether civilly or religiously, and that the individual certify the marriage by ensuring both they and the two witnesses sign the marriage certificate, and eventually returning the license to the same official who issued it within 15 days.
MO Rev Stat § 451.040 (2013)
Marriage license required, waiting period--application, contents--license void when--common law of marriages void--lack of authority to perform marriage, effect.
451.040. 1. Previous to any marriage in this state, a license for that purpose shall be obtained from the officer authorized to issue the same, and no marriage contracted shall be recognized as valid unless the license has been previously obtained, and unless the marriage is solemnized by a person authorized by law to solemnize marriages.
- Before applicants for a marriage license shall receive a license, and before the recorder of deeds shall be authorized to issue a license, the parties to the marriage shall present an application for the license, duly executed and signed in the presence of the recorder of deeds or their deputy. Each application for a license shall contain the Social Security number of the applicant, provided that the applicant in fact has a Social Security number, or the applicant shall sign a statement provided by the recorder that the applicant does not have a Social Security number. The Social Security number contained in an application for a marriage license shall be exempt from examination and copying pursuant to section 610.024. After the receipt of the application the recorder of deeds shall issue the license, unless one of the parties withdraws the application. The license shall be void after thirty days from the date of issuance.
Requirements for the Couple
- Min. Age of Couple:
- Age 18 or Age 16 with Guardian Consent
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Min. Distance of Kin Allowed:
- Second Cousins
- Marriage Equality:
- Yes
The state of Missouri set the legal age of consent to marry at 18 years old. Any union between minors ages 16 and 17 are only allowed with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian, and no minor will be allowed to marry an adult over 21.
The state also forbids marriages between parents and children, siblings of either the half or whole blood, grandparents and grandchildren of every degree, uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews and first cousins. All persons lacking the capacity to enter into a marriage are also forbidden, and any state official who knowingly issues a marriage license to such couples shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Same sex marriages, it should be noted, are now legal in the state of Missouri, in accordance with federal law.
MO Rev Stat § 451.020 (2013)
Certain marriages prohibited--official issuing licenses to certain persons guilty of misdemeanor.
451.020. All marriages between parents and children, including grandparents and grandchildren of every degree, between brothers and sisters of the half as well as the whole blood, between uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, first cousins, and between persons who lack capacity to enter into a marriage contract, are presumptively void; and it shall be unlawful for any city, county or state official having authority to issue marriage licenses to issue such marriage licenses to the persons heretofore designated, and any such official who shall issue such licenses to the persons aforesaid knowing such persons to be within the prohibition of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor; and this prohibition shall apply to persons born out of lawful wedlock as well as those in lawful wedlock. It shall be presumed that marriages between persons who lack capacity to enter into a marriage contract are prohibited unless the court having jurisdiction over such persons approves the marriage.
Final Steps
- Officiant's Title on Marriage License:
- Minister
- Church/Ordaining Body:
- Universal Life Church Ministries
- Address of Church:
- Minister's Home Address
Once the ceremony has come to an end, it’s the minister’s job to make sure both witnesses endorse the original marriage certificate, and that copies are given to all parties. The minister will also have to fill in their own information, including their title, the name of their religious organization (the Universal Life Church, in this case) and the home address and state where they currently reside, before providing their signature.
Once completed, the original marriage license and certificate must be returned to the same official who issued the license within 15 days of the ceremony.
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