Knowing destination weddings are popular on the Hawaiian Islands, the State has made acquiring a Hawaii Marriage License relatively easy
A Hawaii Marriage License is issued by a Marriage License Agency, authorised by the State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH). When you complete your application online, you will be emailed a list of agents in the County you are applying in. For the Big Island, this is Hawaii County.
We suggest the first step is to find a wedding officiant or performer for your ceremony and to select a date for your wedding. You will need to provide an officiant and a wedding date on the application and they must be registered with the state. We find that many of our couples choose to have a friend or family member who knows them well perform their ceremony. This is completely fine, but they will still need to register with the state.
Next, we suggest you fill out the online application and pay the fee (of $65 at the time of writing this post). This needs to be done WITHIN 30 days of the event, not sooner. Technically, you could get a license the day before the wedding, though we wouldn’t suggest it! After completing the online application, you will be emailed a receipt and a Locator ID Number. This is crucial for the final step of booking an appointment with one of the authorized marriage license agents. There will be a list of the local agents in the same email.
Once you have scheduled an appointment, you will need to meet with the agent in person. Unlike in some other States, you will not need your birth certificate. A simple photo ID such as a driver’s license is sufficient. You will both need to be present together for the meeting. This appointment generally only takes about 15 minutes.
The agent will provide you a written copy of the license. You will need to bring to the wedding ceremony. We suggest designating the Maid of Honor, Best Man or other trusted friend to give this to the officiant or performer.
It is important to note this is the Marriage License and not the Marriage Certificate.
To get your formal certificate, the officiant will have three business days to file proof of the ceremony online. Once this is complete you should expect to receive your formal marriage certificate in the mail within approximately 30 days.
If you have any questions about the Hawaii Marriage License process, we would be happy to help!
We do book the appointment with the agent for all our clients as part of our Planning Service. We are always sure to remind them to have someone bring the license along to the ceremony!
