Process for Obtainina a Tennessee Marriage License

There are some processes involved if you are planning to get married in the US. It is really very important to know about these processes, because if you are not aware of them and if you do not follow them, then this means that you may not be legally married in the eyes of the law.

To get married, you need a marriage license. The license gives you the permission to go ahead and organize the wedding ceremony. Do keep in mind that the license is not proof that you are married. Once your ceremony is over, the person who conducted it needs to sign the document and then forward it to the authorities, who will then issue the marriage certificate. You can only then be legally proclaimed ‘Man’ and ‘Wife’, at least according to the eyes of the law.

As in the other states of the country, this is the law in the State of Tennessee. Keep in mind that while there are several similarities in the regulations of all the states or most of them, there are many differences in regulations as well. Even in the same state, the regulation might be somewhat different from one county to another.

You need to also know that the regulations do tend to change from time to time. Though it is a good idea to know them in advance, it is important that you check them once more when you are actually submitting an application for a marriage license.

With this understanding, you are now ready to proceed and learn about the various regulations and finer points about applying for a Tennessee marriage license.

Applying for Your Marriage License in Tennessee: What You Need to Know

•    At the time of submitting your application, you need to furnish some proof of identity. For this, you can send over a valid driver’s license, certified birth certificate or a valid passport.

•    Also remember that while applying, both you and your would-be spouse need to be personally present. Yes, both of you must be present because proxy marriages are not allowed in the state.

•    Also, bring a witness when you are about to sign the Tennessee marriage license application. There are many people who prefer to bring along their maid of honor or best man. You can do this too, or you could ask someone else to come with you.

•    The would-be bride also needs to know what her married name will be when she is signing the marriage certificate, and this needs to be mentioned at the license application stage.

•    There is no need for you or your partner to be a resident of Tennessee to be married here.

•    There is no need for any blood or other tests as well. This is great news because there are quite a few states in the country that need such tests to be carried out.

•    Common law marriage is not allowed in the state and this is also the case with same sex marriages too. First cousin marriages are allowed. According to the state regulations, cousins are lateral relations and thus there is no problem in them engaging in wedlock. In Tennessee, it is the lineal relations that are prohibited.

•    You can of course get remarried in the state, but the authorities will need to know what happened in the earlier marriage – that is, whether it ended in a divorce or the death of the spouse. If it was a divorce, then you will have to also furnish the copy of Divorce Decree.

•    The marriage license that is issued in the state remains for a period of 30 days. This means that you need to have the wedding ceremony within this time, and if it is not held within 30 days, the marriage license becomes void.

•    The license that is issued can be used only within the State of Tennessee and not in any other state of the country.

•    You will need to pay a fee of $100 when you are submitting an application for the marriage license. This fee can be substantially reduced to just $40 if you decide to opt-in for a marriage counseling session that lasts for 4 hours. If you decide to do this, at the end of the session the county will see whether your counselor and the completed session can be approved or not. If it is approved, then you get a $60 discount and the fees come down to just $40. If it is not approved, you will still have to pay the normal account of $100.

Age Requirements for Getting Married in the State of Tennessee

You can legally get married in this state and elsewhere in the country if you are more than 18 years of age. If you are however not yet 18, then you can get married, but according to the Tennessee regulations you need to be accompanied by your parents. If there are no parents, then you need to be accompanied by your legal guardian.

In this state, there is no waiting period if you are older than 18 years. If you or your would-be spouse is younger than that, you need to wait for a minimum of 3 days.

If you or your would-be spouse is less than 16 years of age, you can still get married in Tennessee. However, you will first need to get a court order that allows such a marriage. Do remember that the court will allow this in certain situation.

Who Can Marry You in Tennessee?

The wedding ceremony in the state can be conducted by all regular ministers of the gospel of every denomination, and Jewish rabbis who are more than 18 years of age. Remember that the minister must endorse the marriage license and return it to the Clerk of the County Court within three days after the marriage. This is very important because only after this will your marriage certificate be issued and you can claim to be legally and officially married.

Where Do You Apply for Your Tennessee Marriage License?

To obtain your marriage license, you will need to submit an application at the relevant County Clerk’s office. For your convenience, here are some of the County Clerk’s offices in the State of Tennessee with their phone numbers:

Anderson County Clerk
Clinton, TN
865. 457. 5400

Bledsoe County Clerk
Pikeville, TN
865. 447. 2137

Blount County Clerk
Mariville, TN
865. 982. 4391

Bradley County Clerk
Cleveland, TN
865. 476. 0520

Campbell County Clerk
Jacksboro, TN
865. 562. 3496

Cannon County Clerk
Woodbury, TN
615. 563. 4278

Carroll County Clerk
Huntingdon, TN
901. 986. 1960

Carter County Clerk
Elizabethton, TN
865. 542. 1814

Cheatham County Clerk
Ashland City, TN
615. 792. 5179

Chester County Clerk
Henderson, TN
901. 989. 2233
 
Davidson County Clerk
Nashville, TN
615. 862. 6256

De Kalb County Clerk
Smithville, TN
615. 597. 5177

Decatur County Clerk
Decaturville, TN
731. 865. 6022

Dickson County Clerk
Charlotte, TN
615. 789. 4171

Dyer County Clerk
Dyersburg, TN
901. 286. 7814

Fayette County Clerk
Somerville, TN
901. 465. 5213

Hardin County Clerk
Savannah, TN
901. 925. 3583

Hawkins County Clerk
Rogersville, TN
865. 272. 7002

Haywood County Clerk
Brownsville, TN
901. 772. 2362
 
Knox County Clerk
Knoxville, TN
865. 215. 2392

Lake County Clerk
Tipponville, TN
901. 253. 7462

Lauderdale County Clerk
Ripley, TN
901. 635. 2561

Montgomery County Clerk
Clarksville, TN
931. 648. 5712

Moore County Clerk
Lynchburg, TN
931. 759. 7346

Obion County Clerk
Union City, TN
901. 885. 3831

Sumner County Clerk
Gallatin, TN
615. 452. 4063

Tipton County Clerk
Covington, TN
901. 476. 0207

Tousdale County Clerk
Hartsville, TN
615. 374. 2906
 
Wayne County Clerk
Waynesboro, TN
931. 722. 5544

Weakley Count Clerk
Dresden, TN
901. 364. 2285

Williamson County Clerk
Franklin, TN
615. 790. 5712