Thurston County, Washington

The content on the Thurston County website is currently provided in English. We are providing the “Translation” for approximately 10 languages. The goal of the translation is to provide visitors with limited English proficiency to access information on the website in other languages. The translations do not translate all types of documents, and it may not give you an exact translation all the time. The translations are made through an automated process, which may not result in accurate or precise translations, particularly of technical and legal terminology.

Thurston County Washington

Auditor

Marriage Licenses

The Auditor’s Office issues marriage licenses. Marriage licenses issued by the Thurston County Auditor are only valid for ceremonies that take place in Washington State. Learn more about the marriage application process and getting a marriage license below.

Complete the Online Marriage Application. This can be filled out before coming into the office, or we do have a computer available in our lobby to complete the online form. We can assist you in filling out this form if you are unable to.

• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
  
• One piece of valid identification is required of each applicant. This identification must contain the birth date, signature and picture of the applicant. Driver’s licenses (any state) state identification (any state), passports (any country) and military identification are all common and acceptable forms of identification. It is not a requirement to be a resident of this state to apply and be married here.
  
• The fee required in Thurston County is $72.00 payable by cash, check or credit card (additional service fee with credit cards).
  
• No blood test is required in Washington State. Thurston County’s application contains a signed affidavit and verbal oath stating that if either applicant is afflicted with any contagious sexually transmitted disease, the condition is known to the co-applicant.
  
• If either applicant is divorced, proof is not required. It is the responsibility of the applicant to be sure that their divorce is legal and final before applying to be married again. The county application must be appropriately marked divorced rather than single.
  
• A 3-day waiting period (RCW 26.04.180) exists in Washington State which begins the day the application forms are in the possession of the Auditor - completed, signed and fee paid, and ends after 3 calendar days have passed. (The couple does not have to return to pick up the certificates. They are given the certificates to take to their officiant at the original time of application, however they cannot use them for marriage for 3 days.) For example, an application completed and paid for on the 1st day of the month is valid on the 4th day of the month. The license is valid for 60 days after the 3-day waiting period and will expire if not used by the applicants to be married. A new application would have to be completed and signed and the fee would have to be paid again. Therefore, a couple must apply - application forms complete, signed and fee paid - a minimum of 3 days prior to their marriage date, but not more than 63 days prior.
  
• The Thurston County Auditor is open 8:00 am – 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday. Please arrive no later than 4:15 PM to apply, as the application process can take up to 15 minutes.
  
• Please keep in mind that an application is a public record.

Follow these steps to apply for a marriage license. Please note: everyone must fill out an Online Marriage Application either from home or on our lobby computers (Step 2 or 3):

1. Check the application requirements (download the PDF or see below).
   
2. If you meet eligibility requirements, watch the short video explaining the marriage application process, fill out the Online Marriage Application, and complete the application process in the Auditor's Office. The three-day waiting period starts when our office issues the license.
   
3. Both parties to the marriage need to come to the Auditor's Office in person to complete the application process.
   
4. If one party cannot be present, they need to complete a marriage application and have their signature notarized. The other party can bring in the application to finalize it and start the three-day waiting period.
   
5. Congratulations! You can now get married any time after three days and within the following 60 days.

How to apply for a marriage license if you cannot come into our office.

• Download and fill out the Marriage Application Form and complete the Online Marriage Application. Please make sure both applicants appear the same (Applicants A and B) on the paper application as they do on the online marriage application.
• Both parties must sign the application in the presence of a notary public.
• The following can be mailed to our office:
  • Application
  • Fees
  • Instructions that include a contact phone number, wedding date and information about where you would like us to mail the marriage packet.
  Cost & Forms of Payment

  $72.00 - This fee is NOT refundable.

  We accept cash, check, money order, or credit cards. Payment is due at the time of application. We charge all card transactions a $2.00 or 2.35% service fee, whichever is highest.

  ​​​​​​​Who can perform ("officiate") marriage ceremonies?

  State law (RCW 26.04.050) says who can perform marriage ceremonies. The following people, active or retired, can perform marriage ceremonies:

  • Judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Superior Court, District Court, Municipal Court and other courts of limited jurisdiction (RCW 3.02.020).
  • Commissioners of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Superior Court.
  • Licensed or ordained official of any religious organization.

  Washington State does not license officials of any religious organization. Officials of religious organizations from any state may perform ceremonies. Couples may not officiate their own wedding.

  Do we need to perform the ceremony in a certain way?

  State law (RCW 26.04.070) requires the people getting married to say they will take each other as spouses in the presence of:

  • An official with any religious organization OR a judicial officer; and
  • At least two attending witnesses.
  Can you explain the three-day waiting period?

  ​State law requires three days between the date our office records a marriage application and when you get married (RCW 26.04.180). For example, if you apply on Wednesday, you can get married on Saturday.

  Does Washington State allow proxy marriages? Are marriage records publicly available?

  All marriage records are public records. The one exception is if one or both people are enrolled in the Washington State Address Confidentiality Program (ACP). If you are enrolled in ACP, please contact our office to schedule a time to complete your marriage application.

  Once we record a marriage application or certificate, it cannot be removed from our records.

  Get Copies of Your Marriage Certificate

  ​If you would like to order copies of your Marriage Certificate, we accept credit cards over the phone at 360.786.5405 (we charge all card transactions a $2.00 or 2.35% service fee, whichever is highest). You can also come to our office in person or you can send a written request to:

  Thurston County Auditor
  Attn: Copy Request
  3000 Pacific Ave. SE
  Olympia, WA 98501

  Photo copies cost $1.00 per page.

  Certified copies of each document cost $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page.