The requirements for obtaining a marriage license are as follows:
1. Both applicants must be 18 years of age or older in order to obtain a South Dakota marriage license. If either applicant is between 16 and 18 years of age, a consent is required from a parent or legal guardian of the applicant.
2. The applicants are required to appear in person at the Register of Deeds office, show proof of identification and age, complete marriage license application forms, and have their signatures to their applications captured electronically. Each applicant shall provide the surname they shall be known by after solemnization of marriage. (A surname may only be changed to adopt the spouse's surname or the applicants' hyphenated surnames)
3. Examples of acceptable forms of identification include a valid U.S. issued driver’s license, passport, tribal I.D., etc. Please contact the Register of Deeds office if you have a question as to what type of documentation may be used to prove identity and age.
4. Various personal information is required when completing the marriage application worksheets, such as names, addresses, birth information, social security numbers, and other statistical information.
5. The marriage ceremony may be performed after the license has been issued. Effective July 1, 2020, a marriage license must be used within 90 days of issuance or the license will expire. The ceremony must be performed within the state of South Dakota, since a South Dakota marriage license cannot be used in any other state.
6. A South Dakota marriage license is effective throughout the entire state. Therefore, a South Dakota marriage license may be obtained from any South Dakota county Register of Deeds, and the ceremony then performed in the same county or any other county within the state, regardless of which county the license may have been issued in.
7. There is a cash fee of $40.00 required for a South Dakota marriage license. We are unable to accept credit cards, debit cards or checks for this fee.
If you wish to obtain a marriage license, please arrive at the Register of Deeds office no later than 4:45 pm.
