Multnomah County Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses are issued by the Multnomah County Marriage License Office, part of the county clerk and recorder function through Assessment, Recording, and Taxation customer service. The office is at 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 175, Portland, OR 97214. The county uses an online application first, then both people appear in person to buy and pick up the license. Appointments are not needed. Walk-in marriage service runs Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and both applicants must be in the office with the completed application by 4:00 p.m. for same-day purchase.
The county's marriage license instructions state that both applicants bring photo identification, such as a driver's license, state ID, or passport. The names on the application should match the IDs. Oregon does not require a blood test or medical exam. Applicants must be 18, cannot be first cousins or nearer kin, and may obtain a license one day after a divorce is final. If a divorce became final within the prior month, the exact divorce date must be supplied.
The county marriage license source is Multnomah County marriage licenses.
The marriage license image supports the local rules for ID, walk-in purchase, waiting periods, and certified copy requests.
The Multnomah online marriage application is the starting point for the license record. That application does not complete the license by itself. Both parties still need to appear in person, pay the license fee, and receive the paper license before the ceremony.
The county application page is the source for the online license workflow: Multnomah online marriage application.
The application image reflects the first step in Multnomah County marriage records, but the in-person purchase remains the step that issues the license.
Apply for Multnomah County Marriage Records
A marriage license is valid only for an Oregon ceremony, even though a couple may apply in any Oregon county. The completed license must be returned to the Oregon county that issued it. Multnomah County also applies Oregon's three-day waiting period unless the couple pays for a waiver. Once effective, the ceremony must occur during the 60-day validity period.
- Complete the online application before going to the office. Review spelling and identity fields against photo ID.
- Both applicants go to the Marriage License Office during posted walk-in hours. Bring accepted ID for each person.
- Tell staff whether a three-day waiting-period waiver is needed. Pay with an accepted method.
- Have the ceremony performed by an authorized Oregon officiant. Two witnesses age 18 or older must be present.
- The officiant completes, signs, and returns the license to Multnomah County within five days after the ceremony.
Oregon officiants can include a person authorized by an active religious congregation or secular organization, an active federal judge, an active U.S. magistrate judge, or an Oregon judicial officer. The officiant and the partners cannot serve as the two required witnesses.
Multnomah County Marriage Application Fields
The county's application inventory shows that identity, eligibility, and payment details matter more than a long list of court-style case fields. If a recent divorce affects eligibility, the applicant should know the final divorce date before going to the office. The same set of facts helps later when a certified marriage copy must be located.
| Field or Requirement | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Dropdown | Optional | English or Espanol |
| Party 1 identity fields | Form fields | Yes | All fields should match photo ID |
| Party 2 identity fields | Form fields | Yes | Both parties must appear in person |
| Photo ID | Document | Yes | Driver's license, state ID, passport, or similar ID |
| Age eligibility | Rule | Yes | Applicants must be 18 |
| Relation eligibility | Rule | Yes | First cousins or nearer kin are not eligible |
| Divorce date | Date | Conditional | Required if a divorce was final within one month |
| Waiting-period waiver | Office form/payment | Optional | Raises the license total to $65 |
| Payment | Choice | Yes | Cash, card, cashier's check, or money order |
Multnomah County Marriage Fees
The fee schedule separates a license purchase from a later certified copy order. A license fee is non-refundable. Certified marriage copies have one price for the first copy and a lower price for additional copies ordered at the same time. Card payments may include the county's posted convenience charge.
| Item | Posted amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $60, non-refundable |
| Marriage license with three-day waiting-period waiver | $65 |
| Certified marriage copy, first copy | $7.75 |
| Each additional certified copy ordered at the same time | $4 |
| Card payment convenience charge | 2% on card orders |
| Marriage amendment after license received | May be $20 |
Accepted payment methods for license purchase include cash, credit or debit card with processing fee, cashier's check, or money order payable to Multnomah County Marriage Licenses. Mailed certified-copy requests require check payment in U.S. dollars.
Search Multnomah County Marriage Records
Marriage records can be approached through the county clerk and recorder rather than the circuit court case-record desk. Certified copies can be ordered by mail using the county's Request for Certified Copies form. The research notes that mailed requests are processed within one to two business days after receipt. In-person service can also provide certified copies at the county counter.
The county also operates the Digital Research Room for official records. Its disclaimer says index information is provided as a public service, compiled from county sources, and subject to updates and corrections. Images in that index are not certified as true, complete, and exact copies, so a certified marriage copy should still be ordered through the county's copy process when an official certificate is required.
The official index source for county recorder research is the Multnomah County Digital Research Room.
The Digital Research Room helps locate indexed county records, while certified marriage proof follows the county copy rules.
Multnomah County Divorce Records Search
Divorce records are not held by the county clerk's marriage desk. They are circuit court family-law records. Divorce, custody, adoption, protective orders, and related family matters route through Multnomah Circuit Court Family Law at the Central Courthouse. Family Law can be reached at Mul.Familylaw@ojd.state.or.us or 971-274-0600. Basic case information may appear in OJD/OECI when the case is not restricted.
A divorce file may include the petition, response, orders, hearings, judgment, custody or support terms, and later modification events. Some family records are not open in the same way as ordinary civil files. Adoption records are confidential, protective-order material can be sensitive, and sealed or restricted filings may require party status, attorney authority, department approval, or a court order.
Oregon dissolution law is collected in ORS Chapter 107, the statute set that governs dissolution and annulment issues. That law helps explain why a divorce judgment is a court record, while a vital-record-style certificate or certified proof may route through a different office depending on the intended use.
The Oregon dissolution statute source is ORS Chapter 107.
The statute image connects divorce records to the court judgment framework used in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Certified Multnomah County Marriage Copies
Certified copies are needed when an agency, court, passport office, benefit administrator, or foreign authority requires official proof rather than a plain image or index result. Multnomah County issues certified marriage copies through its county process, but the county warns that apostille work is different. Oregon apostilles are handled by the Secretary of State, and the county states that an apostille requires a copy from Oregon Vital Records rather than a county-issued copy.
Marriage and domestic partnership records also have an access limit. The county marriage and domestic partnership records page notes a 50-year access restriction for those records. That restriction matters for recent records and for people who are not named on the record. Older public index access and current certified-copy eligibility should not be treated as the same request.
Note: For a foreign apostille, order the right state vital-record copy before sending documents to the Secretary of State.