Prepare together
Explore your options, then use your account to complete your couple profile and the requested details. Follow the license instructions in your portal and upload the approved license when prompted.
Planning your marriage from Minnesota
Online marriage in Minnesota: get legally married from home
Minnesota allows several ways to handle marriage-license paperwork, including remote options under state law. That is useful flexibility, but it should not be confused with permission to use any kind of video ceremony. Legal Online Marriage is a separate remote service with the licensing process that belongs to it. This guide helps you compare the two routes, understand why a convenient application is only one part of marriage and plan for the documents you will need afterward.
Explore your ceremony options ↗A guided remote ceremony, with a separate license process.
Two different ways to plan
Minnesota makes the application and ceremony separate questions
Minnesota law allows the licensing examination to take place in person, by telephone or by web conference, and permits applications through mail or electronic filing, subject to its verification rules. Local implementation can differ. This means the application method deserves its own question; it does not settle how or where a ceremony can lawfully take place.
A Minnesota license is valid for six months, and the state says a marriage under that license must take place within Minnesota. The ceremony provision also calls for an authorized officiant and two attending witnesses. Those are parts of the Minnesota route. Do not read an online application option as a blanket statement that every remote ceremony arrangement is approved.
For Legal Online Marriage, follow the license and preparation instructions supplied through your account for our separate service. Tell the team if you have already applied for a Minnesota license. There is no benefit in combining the application rules of one route with the ceremony instructions of another and hoping the documents will match at the end.
Your plans, made clearer
Compare the whole process instead of one convenient step
Start with the experience you need: whether you can be together, where each partner will be, and whether travel or a large event is part of the problem you are trying to solve. Then compare application requirements, ceremony attendance and the steps to receive the completed record. An easy application does not remove the need to plan the rest of the marriage.
Minnesota has a reduced local license fee for qualifying premarital education. That is a feature of the Minnesota licensing process, not a discount on Legal Online Marriage packages. If you are comparing costs, keep local licensing costs separate from our ceremony price and the government license fee for our service. Also list any certified copies, delivery or international authentication your plans require. A clear comparison should describe the documents and services you will actually receive.
A digitally guided experience
What to expect from the process
Meet for a live ceremony
Choose an available appointment after the required preparation. You and your partner join by video with an officiant and two adult witnesses. We can provide the witnesses, or you can bring your own.
Choose document support
The $399 package includes the ceremony. The $899 package adds apostille authentication for your marriage certificate. Both have a separate government marriage license fee. An apostille authenticates a document; it does not guarantee acceptance.
See the complete online process ↗ Explore ceremony options ↗
Local requirements
Minnesota marriage rules to know
These details apply to a marriage license issued through the Minnesota local process. They are state-specific planning points, not requirements for the separate license used for our ceremony.
- Section 517.07 license for ceremony within Minnesota.
- Section 517.08 allows remote examination and electronic/mail license applications subject to conditions.
- License valid six months.
- Section 517.09 requires two attending witnesses and an authorized officiant.
State rules reviewed: November 7, 2026. Confirm local requirements with the issuing office before applying.
Two different processes
Choose the route that fits your plans
A marriage license issued in Minnesota follows Minnesota rules. Our remote ceremony uses a separate application and ceremony process. The steps below explain what our service includes; they do not replace local requirements if you apply for a Minnesota license.
| Question | A local Minnesota license | Our live online ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| Which license applies? | The license is issued by the local Minnesota authority. Use the waiting-period, validity and filing information in this guide, and confirm local details with the issuing office. | The ceremony follows the process described on our How it works page and uses a license for that process. It is not a Minnesota-issued license. |
| Where does the ceremony happen? | Follow the location and ceremony rules that apply to the specific Minnesota license. | You and your partner join a live video ceremony with an authorized officiant. You may join from the same room or separate locations. |
| What about witnesses? | Witness rules can depend on the local route and license type. Confirm them with the issuing authority. | Two adult witnesses attend. Witnesses are included if you need them; let the team know before your appointment. |
| Who records the marriage? | The office that issued the local license receives the completed return under its process. | The officiant submits the required marriage paperwork. Follow the clerk’s instructions for obtaining your official certificate. |
Before you rely on a certificate: Ask the office, agency or organization that will receive it which certified copy, authentication or translation it requires. A certificate or apostille does not guarantee acceptance for every purpose.
A real ceremony, with clear steps
How to get married online from Minnesota
The ceremony takes place live by video. Your application, license, officiant, witnesses and certificate each have a role. You can review the process before creating an account.
Choose your ceremony option
Your account provides up-to-date package options, inclusions, pricing, terms and appointment times. The government license fee is separate.
Complete the application and identity checks
Follow the instructions in your account to enter both partners’ information, verify your identities and prepare the license. You can join from different locations.
Attend your live video ceremony
You, your partner, an authorized officiant and two adult witnesses join the call. Test your camera and microphone, keep identification ready, and follow the appointment time shown in your account.
Complete filing and request your certificate
Your officiant submits the required marriage paperwork. Follow the clerk’s instructions for your official certificate and any additional document checks.
What brings you here?
Find guidance for your situation
Every couple has a different reason for choosing a live online ceremony. Start with the guide that best matches your plans.
Military couples ↗Plan around orders, training, deployment or a move.Long-distance couples ↗Join the same live ceremony from separate locations.International couples ↗Plan ahead for document and destination requirements.Busy professionals ↗Choose a ceremony time that fits work and travel.Same-sex couples ↗Review the legal process and plan at your own pace.Private ceremonies and elopements ↗Keep the legal ceremony intimate and personal.Homebound and bedside weddings ↗Explore options when travel is difficult.Accessible planning ↗Explore accessibility options for your ceremony.
Planning from around Minnesota
Start with your local plans
Whether you are planning from Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Rochester, the online ceremony can be joined from different locations. If you choose a local Minnesota license, check the issuing county or town office for its current application, appointment and ceremony steps. Local offices may have their own forms and scheduling details.
- Minneapolis
- Saint Paul
- Rochester
- Duluth
- Bloomington
Before your next step
Questions from Minnesota couples
Does Minnesota’s remote application mean any online wedding is allowed?
No. Application methods and ceremony requirements are different parts of the law. Minnesota’s license is for a marriage within Minnesota. Our service follows its own remote licensing and ceremony process.
Does Minnesota’s premarital education fee reduction apply to your packages?
No. It is a rule for the local Minnesota license fee when its conditions are met. Our ceremony packages and the separate government license fee belong to a different process.
Will our ceremony be recorded in Minnesota?
Not through this separate remote process. Your marriage record is held by the government authority that records the ceremony, rather than automatically by your home state. Keep the certified copy and confirm what the organization receiving it needs.
Can we join the ceremony from different places?
Yes. The ceremony is live by video, and both partners may join from the same room or separate locations. Everyone must be able to see and hear one another. Two adult witnesses attend, and witnesses are included if you need them.
Does this service issue a Minnesota marriage license?
No. The online ceremony follows the process described on our How it works page. The Minnesota rules above apply to couples choosing a local Minnesota license. These are separate routes, so do not treat a local application or a general course as a substitute for the process described on our How it works page.
How long does it take to get married online from Minnesota?
Your portal shows available appointment times and guides you through the application and identity checks. The government authority handles certificate processing after the ceremony; timing depends on that office.
Will every agency accept our marriage certificate?
Requirements depend on the office or organization receiving the certificate, and can differ for benefits, immigration matters or use outside the United States. Ask that office what record, certified copy, apostille or translation it needs before choosing a package.
Can we use a local clerk near Minneapolis, Saint Paul instead?
You can choose a local Minnesota license route, but local application and ceremony rules are separate from our remote process described on our How it works page. Contact the clerk or issuing office for the current requirements in the county or town where you plan to apply.
Keep exploring
In-depth state marriage guides
Compare planning details in nearby guides, or browse the full state directory.
Check the rule at its source
Official state references
These government references support the state-specific local rules above. Visit our How it works page to learn about the online ceremony process.
- Minnesota Statutes Chapter 517 ↗ Checked 2026-11-07
This guide is educational and is not legal advice. Local requirements can change.
Take the next step with a clearer plan
Explore the ceremony options, or tell us where you will each join from and what you need help understanding.
Ask the team a question ↗ Browse the state guides ↗
Information checked November 7, 2026. Local requirements can change.
