Find Alaska Marriage License Records

An Alaska marriage license is required before any legal marriage ceremony can take place in the state. Both parties apply together through the Alaska Department of Health's Health Analytics and Vital Records section. You can apply in person at the Juneau or Anchorage office, at most Alaska courthouses, or by mail. This guide covers how to get an Alaska marriage license, what it costs, who can perform the ceremony, and how to order a certified marriage certificate or search historical marriage records across all 30 Alaska boroughs and census areas.

How to Get an Alaska Marriage License

The Alaska Department of Health manages marriage licenses through its Health Analytics and Vital Records (HAVRS) section. This office oversees all Alaska vital records, including births, deaths, marriages, divorces, adoptions, and paternity. To get an Alaska marriage license, both parties must complete the Marriage License Application and appear together before a licensing officer or notary. You cannot apply on behalf of your partner or submit forms separately and then meet at the office.

You can submit the application at the Juneau HAVRS office, the Anchorage office, any Alaska courthouse, through an Alaska postmaster, or by a notary in your home jurisdiction. Couples who cannot reach a physical office can sign the application before any notary public. Mailed-out licenses cost $70 instead of $60 to cover shipping. Once HAVRS receives your completed application, the license will be ready three business days later. That three-day period is a state-mandated waiting period. No exceptions exist, and it cannot be waived or shortened.

The license is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued. If your ceremony does not happen within that window, the license becomes void. You would need to reapply and pay the $60 fee again. No refunds or extensions are granted for expired licenses.

No blood test is required in Alaska. There is no residency requirement either. Both Alaska residents and people from other states or countries may apply for and receive an Alaska marriage license. The license is only valid for ceremonies performed within Alaska or in Alaska state waters.

The Alaska Department of Health marriage license page outlines the full application process, office locations, and what to bring when you apply.

Both the Juneau and Anchorage vital records offices accept walk-in applications Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Alaska Marriage License Requirements

Both parties must present a government-issued photo ID when they apply. Accepted forms include a driver's license, state-issued ID card, U.S. passport, military ID, or a Tribal or BIA identification card. A birth certificate may be required to prove age. Both parties must be sworn in by a licensing officer or notary and sign the application in their presence. You cannot sign the form ahead of time at home and bring it in.

Anyone who is 18 or older can marry without parental consent. A person who is 16 or 17 may only marry with a court order and written consent from legal parents or guardians. A birth certificate is required for minors. The two parties also cannot be more than three years apart in age when one is under 18. No one younger than 16 may marry in Alaska under any circumstances. Alaska Statute 25.05.171 covers these age requirements in full.

Alaska prohibits marriage between people more closely related than first cousins. This applies to both whole and half blood relations under AS 25.05.021. Proxy marriages are not permitted. Both parties must be physically present before one witness and the officiant during the ceremony. You cannot have someone else stand in for you.

If either party was divorced within the past 60 days, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree, dissolution, or annulment. The court in the state where the divorce was filed must have finalized it. The application form itself is valid for one year from the date you submit it, but once the license is actually issued and picked up, you only have the 90-day window to use it.

Alaska Vital Records Office Locations

Two main HAVRS walk-in offices serve Alaska residents. The Juneau office is the state's primary location and handles all mailed, faxed, and walk-in applications. The Anchorage office provides same-day service for residents throughout Southcentral Alaska. Both offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. If neither office is convenient, you can apply at any Alaska courthouse or through an Alaska postmaster.

Couples in rural boroughs or remote communities have options. Any Alaska postmaster can witness the application signing. Most district and superior courts also issue licenses. For corrections to a marriage certificate after it has been filed, contact the Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200.

The Health Analytics and Vital Records section manages marriage licenses, certified certificate copies, amendments, and all other vital records services statewide.

HAVRS also handles heirloom marriage certificates, apostilles for international use, and delayed certificate applications for events that were not registered at the time.

Alaska Marriage License Fees and Certificate Costs

The marriage license application fee is $60. If HAVRS mails the license to you instead of you picking it up, the cost rises to $70. That extra $10 covers postage and handling. Payment by check or money order only. The license lets you get married. It does not, by itself, prove that a marriage took place after the ceremony.

After the ceremony is performed, the officiant or couple must return the signed license to HAVRS within seven days. Once HAVRS registers the marriage, you can order a marriage certificate. That is the legal document that proves you are married. The first certified copy costs $30. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $25. Heirloom certificates are also available and cost $65 for the first copy and $60 for additional copies. Part of that heirloom fee goes to the Children's Trust Fund. The Alaska Vital Records orders page lists the complete current fee schedule.

Other fees to know: re-issuing a lost or damaged license costs $15. An apostille for international document validation costs $42 and includes one certificate. A legal name change or record amendment costs $60 and includes one certificate. Special research requests, for situations where standard searches do not find the record, run $75 per hour. Corrections to a marriage certificate take about three months to process. Expedited correction processing is not available. The CDC's Alaska vital records reference page also lists current fees and ordering instructions for out-of-state requestors.

Note: Fees listed here are current as of the research date. Verify current amounts with HAVRS before submitting payment.

The Alaska Vital Records orders page covers the full fee schedule for marriage certificates, heirloom copies, apostilles, and corrections.

The Anchorage office can provide same-day in-person service for certificate copies. Mail and VitalChek orders typically take two to three weeks plus shipping time.

Who Can Perform an Alaska Marriage Ceremony

Alaska law allows marriages to be performed by ordained religious leaders, including ministers, priests, rabbis, principal officers or elders of recognized churches, and commissioned officers of the Salvation Army. Judicial officers and elected officials holding public office can also perform ceremonies. Under Alaska Statute 25.05.261(a)(2), any person who is at least 18 years old can perform a marriage ceremony in Alaska if they first obtain a marriage commissioner appointment from an Alaska court.

A marriage commissioner does not need to be an Alaska resident or a citizen of the United States. This makes it straightforward for a couple to ask a close friend or family member to officiate. To get appointed, call or visit the court nearest to where the wedding will be held. You need to provide your full name including middle name, your address, the full names of both parties including middle names, the date of the ceremony, and the physical location where it will take place. The appointment fee is $25. Courts in the Fourth Judicial District also require the marriage license to accompany the application.

One witness who is at least 18 must be present and sign the license. After the ceremony, the officiant or the couple must return the completed and signed license to HAVRS within seven days. Late returns can delay registration of the marriage.

The Alaska Court System marriage FAQ explains how to get a marriage commissioner appointment, which courts issue them, and what information you need to provide.

Courts in the First Judicial District also require the marriage commissioner applicant's date of birth. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor maintains a notary directory at aws.state.ak.us/NotaryDirectory searchable by community.

Ordering Alaska Marriage Records Online

VitalChek is the only online service authorized by Alaska Vital Records to process certificate orders. It operates 24 hours a day and provides expedited processing for an additional fee. Alaska specifically warns the public against using other online companies that claim to process vital records requests. Those services often charge very high fees and have no direct relationship with the state office.

To order a marriage certificate through VitalChek or by mail, you must be one of the spouses listed on the certificate. All others should call (907) 465-3391 for assistance. You must include a copy of your photo ID. Accepted forms are a driver's license, state ID, passport, military ID, Tribal or BIA card with photo, or a school ID. If your ID is expired, it must be less than one year past its expiration date. You can also fax your request to (907) 465-3618 along with a copy of your ID and payment information.

VitalChek's Alaska page allows online ordering of certified marriage certificates with secure payment and tracking, and is the only third-party service authorized by the state.

Expedited orders through VitalChek are processed in three to four weeks, not counting shipping time. Standard mail requests sent to the Juneau P.O. Box typically take a similar amount of time.

Historical Alaska Marriage Records

The Alaska State Archives preserves more than 30,000 cubic feet of state and territorial records. The collection includes vital statistics dating back to 1816 through 1998. The Archives is located at 141 Willoughby Avenue in Juneau. It partnered with FamilySearch.org to digitize 1.1 million Alaska documents, including birth, marriage, death, and probate records. That digital collection is searchable online through FamilySearch and at Family History Centers.

Alaska marriage records are confidential for 50 years after the date of the event. Marriage license applications, though, are open to public inspection right away under the terms of SB 112. Once the 50-year window closes, anyone can request a certified copy of a marriage certificate. The state's vital statistics office has records going back to the 1890s. Keep in mind that many events before 1930 were never registered at the state level, so some searches turn up nothing. If HAVRS cannot find a record, the State Archives or FamilySearch indexes may have what you need.

There is no common law marriage in Alaska. Cohabitation, no matter how long it lasts, does not create a legal marriage in this state.

The Alaska State Archives genealogy page provides access to historical vital records including marriage records, naturalization records from 1888 to 1972, probate indexes from 1883 to 1960, and vital statistics through 1998.

The Archives accepts research inquiries online and keeps a list of independent researchers available for complex or historical record searches that require on-site work.

Alaska Marriage License Laws and Statutes

Alaska marriage law lives in Title 25, Chapter 25.05 of the Alaska Statutes. Under AS 25.05.011, marriage is a civil contract that requires both a valid license and a formal solemnization ceremony. Neither a verbal agreement nor long-term cohabitation creates a legal marriage. AS 25.05.121 states that a license issued by a licensing officer authorizes the ceremony anywhere in the state or in Alaska state waters.

AS 25.05.031 covers grounds on which a marriage may be declared void. A court can void a marriage if a party lacked capacity to consent, if force or fraud was involved, if the parties are too closely related, or if one party was already married to someone else at the time. Under AS 25.05.021, marriage is prohibited between people more closely related than fourth-degree consanguinity in either whole or half blood. Same-sex couples have equal marriage rights following Obergefell v. Hodges (576 U.S. 644, 2015) and the earlier Hamby v. Parnell ruling in the U.S. District Court for Alaska. All application procedures are the same regardless of the genders of the applicants.

Alaska marriage statutes are compiled in Title 25 Chapter 25.05, covering license requirements, prohibited marriages, officiant authority, solemnization requirements, and certificate registration.

The Alaska Bar Association's youth law guide explains these statutes in plain language, including age requirements, witness rules, and what happens after the ceremony.

Alaska SB 112 transferred marriage licensing authority from district judges to the state registrar of vital statistics and opened marriage license applications for public inspection during normal business hours.

SB 112 also defined the duties of local registrars and set a misdemeanor penalty for any licensing officer who refuses or neglects to keep complete records of applications.

The Alaska Bar Association youth law guide explains marriage law for people under 18, the role of marriage commissioners, and post-ceremony registration steps in plain language.

The guide also notes that at least three days before the ceremony, one or both parties must apply for the marriage license at any Bureau of Vital Statistics office, courthouse, or other authorized location.

The CDC Alaska vital records reference page lists the official mailing address, current certificate fees, and ordering instructions for people requesting Alaska marriage records from out of state.

The CDC page confirms Alaska has marriage records going back to the 1890s, with many pre-1930 events unregistered. Requestors must include a copy of their photo ID with all mail requests.

Browse Alaska Marriage License Records by Location

Each Alaska borough and census area has its own courthouse where marriage licenses are issued. Select a borough below to find local office information, court addresses, fees, and resources specific to your area.

Alaska Boroughs and Census Areas

Alaska is divided into 30 boroughs and census areas. Marriage licenses are available at local courthouses throughout the state in addition to the two statewide HAVRS offices in Juneau and Anchorage.

View All 30 Alaska Boroughs

Major Alaska Cities

Find marriage license information for major Alaska cities. Each city page links to the relevant borough office and local courthouse that handles marriage license applications for that area.

View Major Alaska Cities