Hennepin Marriage Records Licenses
To get married in Minnesota, applicants need a Minnesota-issued marriage license. Hennepin County says applicants do not have to be Minnesota residents, but the license can be used only for a ceremony in Minnesota. The license is valid for six months and is issued when the applicants finalize the application and pay the required fee.
Applicants must be at least 18 at the time of the wedding. Hennepin County also warns that if a felony affects a requested name change, the applicant is directed to Minn. Stat. section 259.13 rather than using the marriage license application for that change. That distinction matters because a marriage license is not a shortcut around court or statutory name-change limits.
The official Hennepin County marriage license page lists the license rules, fees, application paths, and remote process.
Use that page for licensing steps, not for divorce decrees, because divorce files are District Court family records.
Apply for Hennepin Marriage License
Hennepin County supports in-person completion after an online information step, one-party appearance with a notarized form for the absent applicant, and fully remote completion by mail. The process selected affects which forms, notarizations, identification copies, and payment methods are needed.
- Submit applicant information online through the Hennepin marriage license application channel.
- Gather proof of age, such as a driver's license, state ID, or birth certificate.
- Choose the completion path: both applicants in person, one applicant in person with the party-not-appearing form, or no in-person appearance through the remote packet.
- For in-person service, make an appointment or walk into a Hennepin service center after the online step.
- For remote service, complete the license application and supplemental forms, notarize or e-notarize the required forms, include proof-of-age documents, and mail the packet with check or money order.
- Review the emailed copy from Hennepin County and report errors within 48 hours.
The remote packet is mailed to Director of Licensing - Remote Marriage, Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, MC 678-B, Minneapolis, MN 55487-0678. If one applicant appears and one does not, the absent person's signature must be notarized and a proof-of-age document copy must be supplied.
Hennepin Marriage Application Fields
The marriage application collects identity, eligibility, and ceremony-related information. The research does not list every screen label from the online form, so the safest field inventory is based on Hennepin's required instructions and the official application paths. Applicants should use their legal information and check the confirmation copy closely.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant legal names | Yes | Used to issue the license and later identify the marriage record. |
| Proof of age / identification | Yes | Driver's license, state ID, birth certificate, or other accepted proof listed by the county. |
| Age confirmation | Yes | Applicants must be at least 18 at the time of the wedding. |
| Premarital education statement | Only for reduced fee | Needed to claim the reduced license fee after 12 hours of premarital education. |
| Party-not-appearing form | Conditional | Required when only one applicant appears; absent person's signature must be notarized. |
| Supplemental remote forms | Conditional | Required when nobody appears in person; forms must be notarized or e-notarized. |
| Mailing and contact information | Yes for remote process | Used for mailed packet processing and county confirmation email. |
| Payment | Yes | Fee is paid before the license is issued. |
The official Hennepin marriage license application is the county's application entry point.
The application record should be checked before the ceremony because spelling or date errors can affect later certified copy requests.
Hennepin Marriage Fees
Hennepin County publishes specific marriage license and marriage certificate fees. Divorce filing fees and certified decree costs are court-record items and were not listed in the marriage research section, so divorce copy needs should go through Hennepin District Court Records Center rather than being folded into the county marriage fee table.
| Marriage item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Regular marriage license | $125 |
| Reduced marriage license after 12 hours premarital education | $50 |
| Certified marriage certificate/license copy | $9 |
| Expedited marriage-copy processing | Extra $20 |
| Fax application fee | Extra $9.50 |
Regular copy processing prepares orders for mailing or pickup within three weeks. Expedited processing prepares the order within one week when the extra fee is included and "Expedite" is written on the envelope. In-person service can issue most copies at the time of application.
Search Hennepin Marriage Records
Hennepin County can issue certified copies when Hennepin issued the original marriage license. The county needs the correct marriage date and applicant names. If the date is not known, the county can search. Certified copies can be requested by mail, drop off, fax, or in person.
The Hennepin County marriage records page explains certified copy ordering, processing times, and correction authority for licenses the county issued.
Use the county page when the goal is a certified Hennepin marriage certificate, not just a public index result.
MOMS Marriage Records Search
The Minnesota Official Marriage System, known as MOMS, provides a separate statewide public search for marriage records by county. It is useful when the issuing county is uncertain or when a person wants to confirm a public marriage index result before ordering a certified copy from the county that issued the license.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| County | Dropdown | Optional | All participating counties or a specific county; Scott and Washington do not participate. |
| Applicant names | Text | Search-dependent | Search certificate records by name fields. |
| Marriage date / range | Date | Optional | Use when known to narrow results. |
| Button | Button | Not applicable | Search. |
Use MOMS marriage search for index lookup, then return to Hennepin County if Hennepin was the issuing county and a certified copy is needed.
Find Hennepin Divorce Records
Divorce records are not Hennepin County vital-record certificates. A divorce, also called a dissolution, is a family case record in Hennepin County District Court. Search Minnesota Court Records Online by party name or case number when a public case can be searched remotely. For certified copies, decrees, older files, or documents not available online, use the Hennepin Records Center.
Family case online-document access is limited. The research notes that MCRO lists certain public documents, such as court-prepared orders, appellate opinions, and notices, for family cases filed after July 1, 2015. Older files and restricted documents may require court administration rather than remote download.
Minnesota marriage law is governed by Minn. Stat. Chapter 517, which is relevant to licenses and marriage records.
That statute source belongs with marriage licensing. Divorce decrees and family case files remain District Court records.
Hennepin Certified Copy Channels
Certified marriage copies come from Hennepin County when Hennepin issued the original license. The order should include the correct marriage date and applicant names, or enough information for the county to search. Mail, drop-off, fax, and in-person options are documented. Fax ordering can involve an online payment authorization path, then faxing the authorization or application materials to 612-348-2010.
Certified divorce decree copies are court records. Use the Hennepin Records Center and include requester name, phone number, mailing address, email address, case number if known, party names, the document requested, copy type, and delivery method. Certified copies are mailed back. Plain copies can be emailed if the requester supplies an email address and the document can be released that way.
Record split: Marriage certificates come from the county licensing record; divorce decrees come from Hennepin County District Court family case records.
Remote Hennepin Marriage Process
The remote marriage process is available when nobody appears in person. Each applicant completes the required supplemental form, the supplemental forms are notarized or e-notarized, proof-of-age documents are included, and the packet is mailed with check or money order to the Director of Licensing - Remote Marriage at the Government Center mailing address.
Hennepin County emails a confirmation copy. Errors must be reported within 48 hours. That review step matters because the marriage certificate will later rely on the license data. If a certified copy is needed after the ceremony, the county's marriage records channel handles the order when Hennepin issued the license.