Can You Marry Without an ID?
What to Know If You’ve Lost Your Identification But Want to Get Married Today
If you’re ready to marry but don’t have a valid ID, you might be wondering: Can I still get married without it? This is a common concern for many couples, especially those planning a same-day wedding or dealing with urgent circumstances like immigration, military deployment, travel, or lost documentation.
At Get Married Today, we specialize in helping couples get legally married fast, even when they’re facing challenges like missing identification. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what’s required, the legal standards in California, workarounds that exist, and how we can help you get married today—no courthouse visit needed.
Table of Contents
- Do You Need ID to Get Married?
- What Types of ID Are Accepted?
- What If You Don’t Have ID?
- Can You Get Married with an Expired ID?
- Alternative Forms of Identification
- Can Undocumented Immigrants Get Married?
- What Happens If One Party Has No ID?
- Lost ID Right Before the Wedding? Here’s What to Do
- How Get Married Today Helps Couples Without ID
- Fast Apostille and International Marriage Services
- What Documents You Do Need
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- We Issue Marriage Licenses Onsite – No Courthouse Needed
- Conclusion
Do You Need ID to Get Married?
Yes, most counties in the United States—including all counties in California—require a valid government-issued photo ID to issue a marriage license. This ensures that both individuals are:
- Properly identified
- Of legal age
- Not currently married to someone else
- Capable of entering into a legal contract
California does not require U.S. citizenship or a Social Security Number, but ID is almost always required. This includes confidential marriage licenses, which many couples choose for their privacy.
🔗 Marriage Requirements – California Department of Public Health
What Types of ID Are Accepted?
In California, acceptable forms of identification include:
- U.S. driver’s license or state ID
- U.S. passport
- Foreign passport (must be in English or translated)
- Military ID
- Permanent resident card (green card)
- Consular ID (e.g., Matricula Consular)
If your ID is expired, missing, or damaged, you may face difficulty obtaining a marriage license at a county clerk’s office.
What If You Don’t Have ID?
If you do not have ID, don’t panic—you still have options. At Get Married Today, we’ve helped many couples navigate this exact situation. You may be able to:
- Use alternative documents
- Get a same-day temporary ID through the DMV (with our help)
- Provide supporting documentation (such as a birth certificate or notarized affidavit)
- Use a deputy marriage commissioner who can validate your identity through sworn testimony and witness confirmation
We work with both public and private systems to issue your marriage license legally—even when traditional identification methods aren’t available.
Can You Get Married with an Expired ID?
Yes, in some cases. If your ID is only recently expired and still visibly confirms your name, birth date, and photo, it may be accepted depending on the county and the official issuing your license.
We recommend contacting Get Married Today to speak to a same-day marriage specialist who can assess your situation immediately.
We can often validate expired ID through additional documents or through our role as authorized notary agents and marriage license issuers.
Alternative Forms of Identification
If you don’t have traditional ID, some counties or officiants may accept:
- Birth certificates
- Baptismal records
- School ID (if recently issued and shows photo and name)
- Court-issued name change documents
- Notarized affidavits
- Witness statements
We recommend gathering multiple documents that confirm your identity to help build a case for issuing a marriage license.
🔗 California Marriage License Handbook – L.A. County
Can Undocumented Immigrants Get Married?
Yes. In California, undocumented immigrants can legally marry. You do not need a Social Security Number or legal residency status to obtain a marriage license.
What you do need is a valid form of identification—even if it’s a foreign passport or consular ID.
Many couples turn to Get Married Today for help marrying quickly and privately—without immigration risk. We offer confidential marriage licenses, legal ceremony services, and same-day apostilles for use in your home country.
🔗 Consular IDs and Immigration Marriage Information – USCIS
What Happens If One Party Has No ID?
If only one partner has an acceptable ID, the process becomes more complex—but not impossible. Here’s what we may do:
- Verify the identity of the second partner using other documents
- Use witness affidavits or notarized statements
- Arrange a deputy commissioner or authorized notary to validate identity under oath
- Provide document processing support if one partner is overseas or in detention
We’ve worked with military couples, immigrants, travelers, and clients facing emergency situations who need to marry fast and legally, even when only one ID is available.
Lost ID Right Before the Wedding? Here’s What to Do
If your ID was recently lost, stolen, or destroyed, act quickly:
- Request a replacement ID from the DMV or consulate
- Contact Get Married Today to discuss options for same-day alternatives
- Provide backup documents like a birth certificate, passport copy, or utility bills
- Consider applying for a confidential marriage license (less documentation required)
- Use a mobile notary and officiant service to validate your identity with legal witnesses
We’ll walk you through every step and may still be able to issue your license today.
How Get Married Today Helps Couples Without ID
Our team at Get Married Today is authorized by the state to issue marriage licenses outside the courthouse, allowing us to help couples with unusual or urgent ID situations.
We help you by:
- Reviewing your unique documentation
- Recommending the fastest solution
- Issuing the marriage license ourselves
- Performing the legal wedding ceremony
- Filing all paperwork with the county
- Ordering your certified marriage record and apostille (if needed)
We can meet you at your home, hotel, hospital, or detention center—24/7.
🔗 Book Your Marriage Appointment
Fast Apostille and International Marriage Services
If you’re getting married for immigration, dual citizenship, or international residency, you may need an apostille on your marriage certificate. We can:
- Order your official certificate
- Apostille your marriage record within days
- Translate your certificate for international use
- Assist with affidavits, proof of marriage, and more
🔗 Learn About Our Apostille Services
What Documents You Do Need
Even without ID, we suggest you gather:
- Any expired ID
- Passport copy or consular card
- Birth certificate
- Utility bill or lease in your name
- Medical records or employment verification
- Notarized affidavit from a third party
- Divorce or death certificate if previously married
These help build your identity profile so we can validate you legally for a marriage license.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
If you’re getting married without traditional ID, avoid these:
- Going directly to the courthouse – They have strict ID policies
- Waiting too long to act – Some document processing takes time
- Using forged or invalid documents – This could void your marriage
- Not consulting a professional – We specialize in same-day legal solutions
Always contact Get Married Today first. We’ve helped thousands of couples marry legally, privately, and urgently.
We Issue Marriage Licenses Onsite – No Courthouse Needed
One of the biggest advantages of working with our team is that we are authorized to issue California marriage licenses ourselves.
This means:
✅ No need to visit the county clerk
✅ No long lines or appointment delays
✅ We can come to you
✅ We handle the filing
✅ You can still get married today
Our mobile notaries and ordained ministers work around your schedule—and even meet you at your preferred location.
Conclusion
So, can you marry without an ID?
In most cases, you’ll need some form of identification—but even if you don’t have it, you still have options. With Get Married Today, we help people every day who’ve lost their ID, are undocumented, or need to marry fast.
We understand that life isn’t always simple—but your marriage process can be.
📍 Serving all of Southern California
📅 Open 24/7, including holidays
🕊️ Fast, private, and legally binding weddings
📜 Optional apostille for international use
Need help today? Contact us now and let us take care of everything—from the license to the ceremony, with or without your ID.
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