Get a Marriage License in Sussex County, DE
Contact details confirmed by phone with the Clerk of the Peace. Here's what to expect at the Clerk of the Peace — fees, what to bring, and where to go.
Delaware marriage licenses are issued by the county Clerk of the Peace. Each county sets and publishes its own schedule, and the three do not match — verified 2026-09-14 against each county's own fee page. Sussex charges $50 for Delaware residents and $100 for non-residents, plus a $20 recording fee applied to every license — so expect $70 or $120 in total. A certified copy is $25. Fees are waived for active U.S. military personnel and veterans with a copy of their DD Form 214, but Sussex states the waiver cannot be used for an online application — you must apply in person to receive it. An appointment is required — call ahead. Active-duty military and their spouses pay nothing for a certified copy of a marriage license or certificate, which otherwise costs $25: they must show a valid military identification card (16 Del. C. § 3132(b)). A 24-hour waiting period applies. Under 13 Del. C. § 107(c) the license entitles you to marry within 30 days from the date it is issued, and it is only valid in Delaware. No Delaware county publishes a downloadable application to print in advance — all three take the application online or in the office — but each county does publish a page setting out what to bring. Call (302) 855-7834 if anything here has changed.
What Sussex County tells you to do
Applying for a Marriage License — Sussex County ↗ is the page to read before you go.
Before you apply online
- Applying online adds $19.95. Sussex takes online applications through Go Certificates, which charges $19.95 on top of the license fee, and states that all transactions are final with no refunds of application fees.
- The military fee waiver is in-person only. Sussex states the waiver “cannot be used for online applications; you must apply in person to receive the waiver” — so applying online costs an eligible veteran both the waiver and the $19.95.
- Both of you must collect the license in person at the Marriage Bureau. Applying online does not avoid the trip: it still ends with an in-office appointment, and the license itself must be picked up by both applicants.
What to bring
- An appointment — licenses are issued by appointment only. Contact the office within 60 days of your wedding to book; staff schedule the appointment within 30 days of the ceremony.
- Both of you, together. Sussex requires both applicants to appear at the same time.
- Photo identification for each of you: a driver’s license, State-issued ID card, passport or military ID. A State of Delaware ID is required to qualify for the Delaware resident fee.
- Original or certified documents if a previous marriage ended — the last divorce or annulment decree signed by a judge and sealed, or a death certificate. Photocopies are refused. The same applies to any legal name change.
- All prior wedding dates, as MM/DD/YYYY.
- Your own interpreter, if either of you needs one, aged 18 or over. The office does have a Spanish-speaking member of staff.
- Birth certificates are not required, but if you do not bring them, know both parents’ full names — including your mother’s maiden name — and their states or countries of birth and residence.
Sussex County Administrative Building, 2 The Circle, Room 226, second floor, Georgetown. The Marriage Bureau is open 8:30am–4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Allow at least 20 minutes for the application.
A 24-hour waiting period applies, running from the time you apply in person.
Published by Sussex County, as of 15 September 2026.
Two witnesses — at the ceremony, not at the counter. 13 Del. C. § 106(4): “Marriages shall be solemnized in the presence of at least 2 reputable witnesses who are at least 18 years of ageand who shall sign the certificate of marriage as prescribed by this chapter.” They sign the certificate afterwards, so they have to be present for it. They are not needed when you apply to the Clerk of the Peace.
Fee source: Sussex County marriage fees ↗ · verified 2026-09-14
Getting married somewhere else in Delaware? See the Delaware marriage license guide for statewide requirements and fees.