Hawaii Marriage License Information

All information herein is provided to the best of our knowlege. We do not warranty the correctness of the following information. Please confirm directly with the State of Hawaii Marriage License Office.


Marriage licenses can only be issued by the State of Hawaii and no one can apply for one but you. Make sure to bring it to the ceremony or you will not be married!

Licenses are issued Monday to Friday before 3:30 pm at the marriage license office.

IMPORTANT: Make sure that the day you plan to apply for your license is not a Hawaii State or US national holiday, the marriage license office will be closed. Check the official website )below) to confirm all dates.

Note: We understand that licenses are apparently also available to be issued on weekends if you make an appointment with one of the designated administrators. Please check with the marriage license office. AHW does not confirm the valilidy or availability of this service.

Basically, this is how it will work for your wedding:

1). Download the Marriage License Application from the State of Hawaii website.

2). When you arrive in Hawaii, both of you must go the the State of Hawaii, Department of Health building on Oahu. Your license will be issued while you are there. FYI: Our clients tell us it is less busy in the afternoons vs. the mornings. If you are applying for your license on wedding day, we suggest you get it as early as possible.

3). BRING YOUR LICENSE TO THE CEREMONY! Our "decorative wedding certificate" is not a license.

4). After the ceremony, the officiate or minister will have you sign (do not sign before) and will affix his signature and license number to the marriage license. He will take the license from you and handle the submittal to the State of Hawaii. Validation for foreign countires have additional requirements (see below).

  • As required by law, the officiant/minister handles the submittal of your license to the State.
    FYI: Un-certified copies of the license (those not made directly by the State) are not allowed and the officiate/minister can have their license revoked, so don't ask. You may order as many copies as you like from the State with the appropriate fee.

  • Normal processing by the marriage license office takes up to 120 days to receive your official marriage license from the State of Hawaii.

  • The marriage office offers an expedited service for a fee, which is suppose to shorten the processing time to 10-14 days (see below).

Validation for Foreign Countries

A certified copy of a marriage certificate issued by the State of Hawaii may need to be officially authenticated in order that it be recognized and accepted by government officials of foreign countries.

For those foreign countries who are nations that have joined the 1961 Hague Convention, the authentication process requires just one official form called an Apostille to accompany the birth, death, marriage, or divorce certificate. In the State of Hawaii, Apostilles are prepared by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

For nations who have not joined the Convention, the authentication process requires two separate forms to accompany the certificate. In Hawaii, one of these forms is called a Certification and is prepared by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. The third form is called an Authentication and is prepared by the State Circuit Court

Go here to read more: http://www.hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/apostille.html


List of Countries and Territories Participating in Hague Convention

Albania
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Botswana
Bulgaria  
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic   
El Salvador
Estonia  
Figi
Finland
France
Germany

Greece
Honduras
Hungary  
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan  
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malawi
Malta
Marshalls
Mauritius
Mexico
Netherlands (Aruba)  
Niue (Savage Is)  
Norway
Panama
Portugal
Romania

Russia
San Marino
Serbia & Montenegro
Seychelles
Slovak
Slovenia
Spain
South Africa
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
Ukraine  
United Kingdom & Northern Ireland
USA
Venezuela
Yugoslavia


Expedited Marriage License Processing

Marriage license processing can take up to 120 days before you recieve your license copy in the mail (we actually suspect that it's much sooner than people expect. This is a statutory requirement.

When you make your application for a marriage license and receive your marriage license (to bring with you to your ceremony) they also give you an additional form with a green envelope, which will allow you to "expedite" your license processing and reduce the processing time down to approx. 10-14 days. The cost is currently $10 for the first copy.

Normally, you would mail this to the marriage office but, to ensure the fastest turn-around, if you fill out the form and enclose the appropriate fees, you can ask our minister/officiate to mail it together with your license.

Hand-Delivery of Marriage License & Expedite Form

Our officiates/ministers tell us that, if they hand-deliver (versus mailing) your marriage license WITH YOUR FILLED-OUT "EXPEDITE" FORM AND APPROPRIATE FEES and stand in the appropriate line, the marriage license office can get your license "into the system" and you might be able to pick-up your copy at the marriage license office within 3-4 business days.

We provide an option for "hand-delivery" of your marriage license by the officiate/minister to the marriage license office to give you the chance of the fastest turn-around. FYI: We cannot guaranty the time frame for processing as it is ultimately still up to the marriage license office to process.

Please be aware that this is not having the minister go to the marriage office and simply, delivering the license. Our service is actually having the officiate/minister, park (if parking is available), and standing in the same line as applicants to make the submittal of your license with your expedite form.

Special Handling For Military Deployment

This is what we have been told:

When you go to apply for your marriage license, bring your deployment orders and show it to the clerk, and also get the "expedite" form. They will indicate this on your license. After the wedding and within a few days, you can go to the marriage license office with your expedite form and they should have a copy of your license.

IMPORTANT: If you are having our officiate mail your license (the normal procedure), wait a couple of days for them to receive and process you license (usually 3-4 days) before going to the office. If you are having our officiate "hand-deliver" you license, you should be able to get your copy in 2-3 days.