Why Marriage?
Marriage equality honors the commitment that thousands of loving same-sex couples in the District have made to each other, often for decades. With marriage equality, the District sends a strong message that it values the love and commitment of all families, including same-sex families.
Thinking about marriage?
In the District, gay and lesbian couples are able to apply for marriage licenses, at the Moultrie Courthouse, located at 500 Indiana Ave. N.W. Room 4485. Couples can also obtain the application by clicking here. Couples must bring proof of their age and identity as well as $45 in cash or money order—which handles the fees for the application as well as the Certificate of Marriage.
Upon successfully completely the application, couples are eligible to retrieve their marriage licenses after three full business days. (Ex. If a couple submits their application on the morning of Wednesday, March 3, they can pick up their license on the morning of Tuesday, March 9.) However, both partners must return to the Moultrie Courthouse with their receipt of payment. Return the receipt to the Marriage Bureau Section in room 4485 to pick up their marriage license. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am-5:00pm.
Read below for more detailed information
The Basics
The process for getting married in the District basically requires an eligible couple to submit an application for a license and pay a fee to the Marriage Bureau. After a three-day waiting period, the couple will receive the license from the Bureau. Then the couple may have the marriage solemnized (i.e., have a ceremony in District). Once the ceremony has been performed, the person who performed it will state the time and place of the wedding on the license, sign it, and send it back to the Bureau. The clerk will then register the marriage and the couple can receive an official certificate of their marriage. The Marriage Bureau is located at 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room 4485, Washington, DC 20001. The phone number is (202) 879-4840. Their hours are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Who Can Marry?
To be eligible to marry in the District, both parties must:
- Be 18 years of age or older (or 16 years of age with the consent of a parent or guardian);
- Not be married to anyone else (i.e. any divorce must be final at the time of application); and
- Not be closely related by blood or marriage to one another. A person may not marry his or her grandparent, grandparent's spouse, spouse's grandparent, parent's sibling, parent, step-parent, spouse's parent, child, spouse's child, child's spouse, sibling, child's child, child's child's spouse, spouse's child's child, or sibling's child.
Do We Have to be District Residents to Marry in the District?
No. The District does not have a residency requirement.
Wedding Location
If you get a District marriage license, the wedding must be performed in the District.
Waiting Period
You must wait three full business days (not counting the day you apply) between applying for a marriage license and receiving a marriage license. For example, if you apply for a license on Monday, three full business days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) must pass before you can pick up your license on Friday. That means that a couple that applies for a license on Wednesday, March 3 will not be able to pick up the license until Tuesday, March 9.
How Do We Get a Marriage License?
Both people who are marrying must appear in person at the Marriage Bureau of the District of Columbia Superior Court and fill out a marriage license application. After a three-day waiting period, the couple must return to the Marriage Bureau to pick up the license.
What Do We Need to Bring with Us When We Apply?
Each party to the marriage must bring:
- Proof of age, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, or a similar official document.
- The $35 license application (waived if you are already domestic partners in the District), and an optional additional $10 if you would like a certified copy of the marriage certificate. The fee must be paid in cash or by a money order made out to “Clerk, D.C. Superior Court.”
The following information is required on the license application:
- Social security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth of both parties;
- Previous marriage information (city, state, and country of each marriage and the ending status of each such as by divorce or death);
- The name of the person who is solemnizing the marriage (unless the applicants are requesting a civil service to be performed by a Superior Court official).
- Home and work telephone numbers for both parties are also requested.
The fee payment receipt is required when you pick up the license. The license must be picked up in person; licenses are not issued by mail.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony?
First, any judge or justice from a court of record. Second, anyone who is authorized by a religious organization to officiate marriages – such as a minister, priest, rabbi, imam – so long as he or she is registered with the Marriage Bureau to officiate marriages.
How Do We Schedule a Civil Wedding Ceremony?
When applying for a marriage license, you may request a civil wedding (to be performed by a Superior Court official) by submitting a Civil Wedding Request Information form. The Clerk will try to schedule the ceremony on or near the date requested, though the requested ceremony must be at least 10 business days after license becomes valid. After submitting the form, the Clerk will confirm the appointment by telephone. The marriage ceremony room can accommodate 10-15 guests. There is no fee for a civil marriage ceremony, though tax deductible donations may be made to the D.C. Superior Court Art Trust Fund.
Do We Need Witnesses?
No witnesses are required for civil ceremonies. No signature other than that of the officiant is required on the certificate.
Can We Get Married If We are Already Domestic Partners?
If you are part of a District domestic partnership, upon marrying, your domestic partnership automatically dissolves and you are simply married. If you are part of a domestic partnership or civil union from another state, the other state’s law may require you to dissolve it prior to marrying in the District. Check the other state’s law about your responsibilities and obligations relating to dissolving a legal relationship prior to marrying.
Why Marriage: More....
Children and Family
Marriage equality protects children. It guarantees that children of same-sex couples have all of the rights and protections that marriage grants automatically to a married couple's children. Marriage equality eases the strain on families by allowing both parents to legally care for and to support their children, to visit family in the hospital, and even to make tough and difficult medical decisions when a loved one is injured. Marriage equality recognizes that it is a person's parenting skills and the love one has for their children and their family that makes a good parent.
“While I have seen no evidence that same-sex marriage threatens the institution of marriage, I have seen considerable evidence that it may indeed strengthen the family. In fact, several of the more stable families in my congregation, with some of the most well-grounded, well-adjusted, and well-behaved children that I have ever seen in my 30 years of ministry, are families headed by same-sex parents.”- Rev. Dennis Wiley, Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church, Washington, DC
People of Faith
Over 200 members of clergy in the District of Columbia support marriage equality. “One of God's greatest gifts to us is our human capacity to love one another.” –Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality, DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality
An overwhelming number of clergy and people of faith in the District of Columbia support marriage equality. The proposed marriage equality law respects and protects the rights of people of faith and explicitly ensures that no person of faith will be required to marry any couple if doing so would violate their religious beliefs.