Using the Officiant Submission and Affidavit
These instructions are specific to the officiant. For an overall explanation of digital licenses read Legally and Lawfully Wedded
Utah County Marriage Licenses are completely digital. No one comes into the office, no one puts ink to paper. You will finalize a couple’s marriage license after the ceremony through the online Officiant Submission and Affidavit.
Once the license has been issued to the couple, they are taken to a page where they can enter your email address. You’ll receive an email with the link and QR code that will take you to the website where you will submit the information for their ceremony and finalize their marriage license.
Submit the information as soon as possible following the ceremony. The couple will receive their digital marriage certificate within minutes of your submission and a paper copy will be mailed to them the next business day.
If the couple’s information appears incorrectly in the Officiant Submission and Affidavit, do not finalize the license immediately. Contact the marriage license office to make the necessary changes. Once the license has been finalized, any edits require the couple to order an error correction for $10.00.
The Officiant Worksheet is an optional tool to help you collect the necessary information before entering the information. You DO NOT need to return this form to the county. You can ask the couple to print this and bring it to you (from the same page where they can send an email), or you can print it yourself from the website you access from the link in your email.
When asked for your title, enter the title that gives you the authority to perform marriage ceremonies: Designee, Minister, Judge, Bishop, etc.
If the couple would like a commemorative wedding certificate with ink signatures, you can create your own, or use the blank or fillable PDF certificate on our website at: (Link TBA)
Your entries in the Officiant Submission and Affidavit will create a legal document, so make sure everything is correctly entered. Once you click “submit” you will receive a confirmation email and your responsibilities as an officiant are complete.
The marriage must be solemnized in such a way that each party to the marriage willingly declares their intent to enter the marriage through a statement and/or an affirmative answer. For example, one spouse can say to the other: “I Chris, take you Taylor, to be my spouse,” or the officiant could ask, “Taylor, do you take Chris to be your spouse?” with Taylor responding “Yes” or “I do.”
The marriage must be solemnized in the presence of two witnesses (each at least 18 years of age) who witness the statements of intent from the couple and pronouncement of the officiant. Their names must appear on the certificate of marriage (you’ll type them in as part of the submission), but they do not need to sign.
As the officiant, your location establishes the jurisdiction for the use of the marriage certificate, and you must be physically present in the state of Utah during the ceremony. As you gather friends and family together to witness the ceremony, make it clear you are gathered to you. List your physical location as the location of the ceremony.
You, the couple, and the two witnesses must all be able to see and hear and be seen and be heard by one another during the ceremony.
Your authority to solemnize marriages comes from your religious or civil designation or title. Utah law does not require marriage officiants to register with the State or County. For details on who is authorized to perform marriages visit: Find an Officiant. To request designation from the County Clerk visit: Become an Officiant.
It is a third-degree felony to use a Utah County Marriage License contrary to Utah State Law. This includes, but is not limited to, using a license:
- Outside of the state of Utah. Remote-appearance marriage ceremonies must be hosted by an officiant physically in the state of Utah,
- Past its expiration date (more than 32 days after the date of issuance),
- By an individual not authorized to solemnize marriages through a religious or civil office or designation, or
- For the marriage of a minor (under 18) without parental and judicial consent.
Completing the online officiant submission and affidavit satisfies all legal requirements for an officiant to provide the couple with a certificate of marriage and to return the marriage license to Utah County with a certificate of marriage.
For more information see: Legal Responsibilities of Officiants.
