How to Get a Marriage License in Portland: Step by Step

If you want your nikah to be a legal marriage in Oregon as well, you need a marriage license first. Here is how it works in Portland, from applying to collecting the license, in plain steps.

At a glance

Where

Multnomah County Marriage Licenses (Recording, Multnomah Building), 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Room 175, Portland, OR 97214

Booking

Walk-in, no appointments. Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Both people must be in the office with a completed application by 4:00 pm to get a license that day.

Fee

$60 The 3-day waiting period can be waived for an extra $5. Card payments carry a 2% charge.

Payment

Cash, credit or debit card (2% charge), cashier's check or money order payable to Multnomah County. No personal checks.

Who attends

Both people must appear in person together to pick up the license.

Valid for

After the waiting period, the ceremony must happen within 60 days, anywhere in Oregon (another line says within 60 days of picking up the license, so confirm the count with the clerk).

Same day?

The license takes effect 3 days after issue; the ceremony cannot happen before then unless the wait is waived for $5.

Step by step

1. Apply. Fill out the application online at multcomarriage.org (no need to print it; staff print it at the visit), then both people go to the office together.
2. Book or plan your visit. Walk-in, no appointments. Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Both people must be in the office with a completed application by 4:00 pm to get a license that day.
3. Gather your ID and documents. See the list below. Bring originals.
4. Attend and pay. Both people must appear in person together to pick up the license. Cash, credit or debit card (2% charge), cashier's check or money order payable to Multnomah County. No personal checks.
5. Give the license to your officiant. Your imam needs it at the ceremony, and must be authorized to solemnize marriages in Oregon. After the waiting period, the ceremony must happen within 60 days, anywhere in Oregon (another line says within 60 days of picking up the license, so confirm the count with the clerk).

What to bring

• Photo ID for each person (driver's license, state ID or passport); names must match the application
• Social Security number: not mentioned on the page read; ask the office
• Must be at least 18, not currently married or in a State Domestic Partnership with someone else, and not first cousins or nearer of kin
• Divorce paperwork requirements are not stated on the page read

Good to know

• The officiant must sign and return the license within 5 days of the ceremony, at the Multnomah Building (drop box or counter) or by mail to Multnomah County DART, PO Box 5007, Portland, OR 97208-5007
• The decorative certificate is not proof of marriage; order a certified copy separately

Your nikah and the license

The license is what makes your marriage legal. Your nikah is the religious ceremony. If your imam is authorized to solemnize marriages in Oregon, one ceremony can be both. See imams serving Portland and our Oregon nikah guide for who may officiate and how the marriage is recorded.

A few common questions

Details come from the Multnomah County Marriage Licenses (Recording, Multnomah Building) website, checked in October 2026. Fees, hours and booking rules change, so confirm before you go. Multnomah County Marriage Licenses (Recording, Multnomah Building): marriage license page. Contact: 503-988-2273; clerk@multco.us; general line 503-823-4000. This guide is general information, not legal advice.