A marriage license is valid for a limited window, and in the states checked here it is 33 to 90 days: 90 days in Texas and California, 60 in New York, Florida and Illinois, 33 days from the application in Michigan. Some states also make you wait before the ceremony, 72 hours in Texas, 24 in New York, 3 days in Michigan. If the window closes before you marry, you buy a new license.
So the working rule is simple: apply close enough to the wedding that the license won't lapse, and early enough that any waiting period is over. Also check which county or town you must apply in: Illinois, for example, makes a license effective in the county where it was issued.
- 90 daysTexas and CaliforniaTexas also has a 72-hour wait after issuance
- 60 daysNew York, Florida and IllinoisNY adds a 24-hour wait; Florida may delay by 3 days
- 33 daysMichigan, counted from the applicationplus a 3-day delivery wait
- 72 hoursNew Jersey waiting period before issuancethe application is valid for six months
Stand: October 2026 · Sources: state statutes and health department pages, listed below.
The rules in seven states
- Day 0Both of you apply in person at a town or city clerk; the license is issued immediately
- Hour 24Earliest ceremony: the 24-hour waiting period is over
- Day 1The 60 calendar days start counting the day after issue
- Day 60Last day to hold the ceremony
- After thatThe license has expired; apply again
Source: New York State Department of Health, Information on Getting Married in New York State. Active military may have 180 days.
These are examples, taken from each state's own statute or health department page. Other states differ, and counties set fees and hours.
| State | Waiting period | How long the license lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 72 hours after issuance (waivers exist) | Expires on the 90th day after issuance |
| California | None listed by the state health department | 90 days from issuance |
| New York | 24 hours after issuance | 60 calendar days, from the day after it is issued |
| Florida | License delayed 3 days unless you submit a premarital course certificate | 60 days after issuance |
| Illinois | Effective the day after issuance | Expires 60 days after it becomes effective |
| Michigan | License not delivered within 3 days of applying (clerk can make exceptions) | Void unless used within 33 days of the application |
| New Jersey | 72 hours before the license is issued (not for a remarriage) | The application is valid for six months |
Read the table by its column. In Michigan the clock starts at application, so with the three-day wait you have roughly a month. In Illinois the license can't be used until the day after it's issued, and the 60 days start then. In Florida the clerk prints the final valid date on the license. In New Jersey, the state page gives the application's validity rather than a day count for the license itself; confirm that with your registrar.
Waivers and exceptions
Waiting periods usually bend. In Texas the 72 hours doesn't apply to active-duty military, to people who work for the Defense Department, to those with a written waiver from a judge, or to those who completed a premarital education course within a year before applying. New York lets a judge or justice waive the 24 hours, and active-duty military can use a license for 180 days instead of 60 with proof at application. Florida doesn't delay the license for couples who submit course certificates. New Jersey skips its 72 hours for remarriages, but you bring a certified copy of the earlier marriage.
Who applies and what to bring
Sources: California CDPH; New York State Department of Health; New Jersey Department of Health.
Both of you, in person, in the state where you plan to marry. California says both parties must appear and bring photo ID with a date of birth and an expiration date, and some counties also want a birth certificate. If either of you was married before, know the exact date and how the marriage ended: death, divorce or annulment. Some California counties want the final judgment.
You don't need to be a California resident to marry there; if either of you lives out of state, ask the clerk about your case. Fees and office hours vary by county.
If it expires
You start over with a new application and fee. New Jersey's page says that if the license expires before use, a new application must be made and another $28 fee paid. This is one of the few errands where doing it twice is the only fix, so put the last valid date in your calendar the day you collect the license.
After the ceremony
The license is only half of the paperwork. After the ceremony it is returned and registered, and the clerk can tell you how to get certified copies of the registered certificate. The name change checklist covers what to do with it, and the Social Security card page covers one stop you'll likely make. You may also need a birth certificate when you apply, so order that first if yours is missing.
Keeping the date visible
Photograph the license the day you get it and note the last valid date and any waiting-period end in your calendar. Paperlock can read dates off a photo of the license, keep it in a Face-ID-locked vault, and, with reminders on, nudge you 30 and 7 days before something expires. The county clerk is the final word on timing in your state.