Marriage

How to apply for a marriage certificate for South Dakota:

  1. Obtain your license application worksheet from the county Register of Deeds office or print the form. While you can fill out the application in advance, you must sign the application in person in the presence of the Register of Deeds.
  2. When you return the application, you must pay a fee of $40.
  3. When applying for a marriage license, you must provide proof of age. Identification is required in the form of a certified copy of a birth certificate or any photographic identification which includes the applicant's name and date of birth.
  4. No blood test or waiting period is required.
  5. You must a minimum age of 16 years old to obtain a marriage license. People who are 16 and 17 must have parental consent. Fill out the Parental Consent Form.
  6. The marriage must be solemnized within 20 days from the purchase of your license or the license becomes void.
  7. Once you are married, the individual who solemnizes the marriage must will the marriage certificate to the married couple and return the license to the Register of Deeds office within 10 days. If the license is not returned, there will be no record of your marriage.
  8. You can obtain a certified copy of a marriage record from the county Register of Deeds office for a fee. (34-25-52). The Department of Health maintains marriage licenses issued and record of marriages solemnized in South Dakota.

Who can perform a wedding ceremony?

Pursuant to SDCL 25-1-30, a "[m]arriage may be solemnized by a justice of the Supreme Court, a judge of the circuit court, a magistrate, a mayor, either within or without the corporate limits of the municipality from which the mayor was elected, or any person authorized by a church to solemnize marriages."

Before performing the wedding ceremony, the person solemnizing a marriage shall ascertain, by personal knowledge or by requesting a photographic identification:

  1. The identity of the parties
  2. Their real and full names and places of residence; and
  3. The names and places of residence of the two witnesses.