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Confidential Marriage License

Cost
A Confidential Marriage License ($85) in Los Angeles county costs less than a public marriage license. You will also need to order at least one Certified Copy of your marriage license and certificate your wedding day.  Certified Copies are required for federal and state governmental purposes, such as immigration issues, military proof and name change after marriage. The Registrar Recorder-County Clerk's office will mail your certified copies to you upon request.  Certified Copies cost $14 apiece.

Convenience 
One of the best advantages of a Los Angeles County confidential marriage license is that your specialized notary, usually a specially authorized wedding officiant, can provide you with an immediate signed and notarized duplicate of your marriage license and certificate that is temporary proof of your marriage for all non-government purposes such as insurance and banking matters.  (please note: not ALL wedding officiants are specially authorized to issue this marriage license, please see side bar). No other California county provides such a duplicate. Instead, if you marry with a marriage license issued by any other county you'll have to wait up to 10 weeks or more to receive a certified copy of your marriage license and certificate.

Protection
A confidential marriage license allows all the personal information on a marriage license to be protected from public view. Only a court order or a notarized application by either spouses can obtain a copy of the information. This benefits anyone who wishes their information remain private, including celebrities. Click here to find out what marriage license information is protected by a confidential marriage license.


Limitations
The only limitation of a confidential marriage license is that, the license is valid only if your marriage ceremony takes place in Los Angeles County.


Legalities
A confidential marriage license is a completely legal license and can be issued by either a special notary, who has been authorized by the county of Los Angeles to issue a license to a couple, or by the county clerk's office.  There are only 6 Los Angeles county clerk's offices, opened during working hours, so it is often beneficial to a couple to avoid the hassle of the trip together since the couple must appear together during working hours in order to file it with the clerk.  A special notary can file the license for you any time of the week.


Requirements
A couple must state to the notary or Los Angeles county clerk office that they have been living together, as husband and wife- not as roommates.  There is no time requirement as to how long the couple has lived together and the notary has no way of checking that fact.


Getting Married in Los Angeles County, California