The Easy Way To Order A Texas Marriage Certificate Copy

Your marriage certificate is one of those things you'll probably never think about until that moment when you really need it, can't find it anywhere, and now have an annoying problem on your hands. In Texas, marriage certificates are required for many of the important life events you might want to embark on with your spouse, like opening a joint bank account, applying for a mortgage loan, filing a legal name change, and many other situations.

If you've misplaced your , you can get a copy from the county clerk where your wedding was registered. Even better, DoNotPay can do all the heavy lifting and request a copy on your behalf.

The Difference Between Marriage Certificates and Marriage Licenses in Texas

Couples in Texas need to apply for a marriage license that authorizes them to get married to make sure they meet all the legal requirements. For example, the prospective spouses have to either be legal adults or have parental consent.

After the ceremony, the marriage license gets signed by a wedding officiant and handed in to the County Clerk to be officially recorded as a registered marriage. This same document will get mailed back to the married couple within a few weeks, and it can then be referred to as either a marriage license or a marriage certificate. Regardless of what you choose to call it, this important document is the official proof of your legal wedded union, and it will definitely come in handy at one point or another.

Who Can Get a Marriage Certificate Copy in Texas?

Marriage certificates are considered public records in Texas and anyone can request a copy. However, in many Texas counties, access to "certified" copies is restricted. These are marriage certificates that have been stamped by the Clerk and authenticated as original, which means they can be used for official paperwork.

Certified marriage certificates are considered a more sensitive document and can usually only be requested by the married couple, close family members, or attorneys hired by the couple.

How Much Does it Cost to Get a Marriage Certificate Copy in Texas?

The cost of requesting a copy of your marriage certificate will vary depending on the county where your marriage is registered. Some examples are:

Montgomery County	$1 for a plain copy, $6 for a certified copy
Tarrant County	$21 for the first copy, $10 for every additional copy purchased at that time
Denton County	$1 for a plain copy, $16 for certified copies

How Long Does it Take to Get a Marriage Certificate Copy in Texas?

Once you send in your marriage certificate copy request, it's all a matter of how quickly your county clerk is equipped to process them. Denton County promises to mail out certificates the next day after receiving your request, while Fort Bend County asks residents to allow 10-14 days. The Dallas County Clerk has a very high volume to contend with, which is why the wait time for getting a marriage certificate copy is between 6-8 weeks.

How To Request A Copy of Your Texas Marriage Certificate

The process for getting a copy of your Texas marriage certificate will depend on the county where your marriage took place. Head over to the County Clerk's website to review the specific instructions. Keep in mind that the document that proves you're legally married can either be referred to as a Marriage License or a Marriage Certificate. The general steps in most cases will be

Check whether you can request your copy in person, by mail, by phone, online, or via email
Fill out your county's Marriage License Copy Request Form in your chosen format
Pay the Texas Marriage License fee with cash, a check, or providing your credit card information

The form requests basic information like:

Names of the couple
Date of their marriage
County/City of marriage
Name of the person requesting the certificate copy
Address of the requester
The purpose of requesting this document

Most counties will also ask you to verify your identity with a government-issued ID like a driver's license or a passport.

A very typical scenario for getting a copy of your is to download and print the request form, fill it out and mail it in with a copy of your government-issued ID and a check or money order that covers the fee.

How DoNotPay Makes It Easier To Get Your Texas Marriage Certificate Copy

No one enjoys all the annoying tasks that pop up when you're dealing with bureaucracy. If you're not looking forward to locating your county's instructions and then jumping through all the hoops, you're definitely not alone. That's why DoNotPay created a simple tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you generate a completed marriage certificate request form, hassle-free. The app even reaches out to the county clerk on your behalf!

If you want to Copy in Texas but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 7 easy steps:

Go to the Certificates of Marriage product on DoNotPay.
Select whether the certificate belongs to you or a relative/loved one. If it belongs to someone else, enter the details of both people on the certificate, and select/upload evidence that proves your relationship with them. If the certificate is yours, enter the details of your spouse.
Enter the city, state, and county where the marriage certificate was issued as well as the date it was issued.
Indicate what you will be using this certificate for, and choose whether you need an authorized or certified copy.
Enter your contact information and shipping address. Upload copies of your government-issued identification, such as a driver's license.
Choose whether you would like to electronically sign this form or not. Once we generate the form, verify that all of the information is correct.
If you need the document to be notarized, schedule a notarization appointment using our Notary product. Otherwise, proceed to our Mail Checks product and let DoNotPay mail-in your request form with a check on your behalf.

Why use DoNotPay to Order a Copy of your Texas Marriage Certificate?

Instead of having to take multiple separate steps to request your Texas marriage certificate, make the process as straightforward as possible. Follow DoNotPay's simple instructions from the comfort of your smartphone or laptop, and you'll have your marriage certified on its way in no time.

The world's first robot lawyer makes it easy to work smarter instead of harder for a wide range of situations, whether it's filling out forms, pursuing a claim in small claims court, filing a complaint with your employer's HR department, or requesting a refund from a store.

What else can DoNotPay do?

There are so many problems that you'll be able to solve much more efficiently with the help of your own virtual lawyer! Some of the most popular ways DoNotPay's tools make life less stressful and more convenient include: