Getting Married in Oregon
This page explains the rules and steps for getting married in Oregon.
It also answers common questions about Oregon's marriage laws, including how old you must be to get married, whether Oregon has "common-law" marriage, and whether same-sex marriage is legal.
How do I get married in Oregon?
To get married in Oregon, you must:
- Get a marriage license at least three days before your wedding. You can go to any Oregon County Clerk’s Office and apply for a marriage license. The fee ranges from $50 to $75, depending on the county.
- Get married within 60 days. Have an authorized person perform your wedding ceremony within 60 days of getting your license. This person could be a judge, pastor, or another official (see next section). Two adults (over 18) must also be present to witness your wedding.
- Return your license to the county clerk within five days. The person who performs your wedding must complete and return your marriage paperwork to the county clerk who issued your license.
Who can perform the wedding?
An adult (someone over 18) who has authority from Oregon to perform the wedding. For example:
- A clergyperson, such as a minister, rabbi, or imam.
- A person with proper certification to perform a wedding in Oregon.
- A judge.
- The county clerk.
The person who performs the ceremony must fill out the license and record of marriage form. They must mail this paperwork to the county clerk within five days of the wedding.
How old do I have to be to get married in Oregon?
You must be at least 18 years old to get married in Oregon (as of January 1, 2026).
What if I get a marriage license but don't have my wedding?
Your marriage license expires 60 days after it was issued by the county clerk.
If you decide not to get married, you don’t need to do anything else. By not returning your marriage paperwork to the clerk, they will know you did not get married.
More Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in Oregon, you cannot marry:
- A person who is already married.
- Someone who is your first cousin, aunt, uncle, parent, sibling, or half-sibling by blood.
If you marry one of these people, Oregon does not consider your marriage legal. It’s called a void marriage.
If you marry someone who is already married, you can legally annul your marriage instead of getting a divorce. Learn more about annulment here.
If you’d like a judge to marry you, contact your local circuit court, county court, or county clerk. Many courts keep a list of judges or officials who perform marriages.
Yes.
Before 2014, same-sex couples in Oregon couldn’t get married. Instead, they could register as domestic partners with the state.
If you have a registered domestic partnership today, Oregon still treats you the same as a married couple. You have the same rights under Oregon law.
But you may not have the same rights as a married couple in other states or for federal law purposes.
Because of these limits, most same-sex couples in Oregon now choose to get married instead of staying in a registered domestic partnership.
No. In Oregon, you must get a license and have a wedding to be considered legally married.
If you had a common-law marriage in another state, Oregon would recognize your common-law marriage if you moved here.
No. When you get married, you and your spouse can choose to:
- Keep your own names.
- Use one of the spouse’s middle or last names.
- Hyphenate or combine both last names.
Each spouse can also choose whether to keep their middle name, remove their middle name, or begin using their old last name as a middle name.
Tip: If you don’t change your name when you get married, you can still change it later on. However, you’ll have to do this through the courts by filing a legal name change petition. It’s more complicated to change your name later.
The easiest time to change your name is when you fill out the marriage license. Put the names you each want to use on your license. These will be your legal names once you’re married.
After you get married, you must tell others about your name change. For example, your work, the DMV, voter registration, Social Security, or the passport office.
Tip: If you don’t change your name when you get married, you can still change it later on. However, you’ll have to do this through the courts by filing a legal name change petition. It’s more complicated to change your name later.