Officiating a wedding in Alabama
Registration, the license, and who returns it — the essentials for officiants.
Informational only. Informational only, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with the county clerk or issuing office that handles the license.
Reviewed August 2026 · Issuing office: dph1.adph.state.al.us
Can you officiate, and is registration required?
Alabama no longer issues marriage licenses and no longer requires a ceremony. Since a 2019 change in the law the two people complete and notarize an Alabama marriage certificate form themselves, and a county probate office records it. An officiant is not legally necessary here: a celebrant may lead the ceremony, and the state form has no officiant line to sign.
Who returns the license, and by when
The couple, not an officiant, delivers the completed and notarized form to a county probate office for recording, within 30 days of the notarization. That clock runs from the notarization rather than from any ceremony, so it is not a return deadline in the sense the other states use. Confirm the filing amount and the intake steps with the probate office, which sets them county by county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need an officiant to get married in Alabama?
No. Alabama does not require solemnization and the state form has no officiant line. A celebrant may still lead a ceremony; the legal marriage comes from the notarized certificate form and its recording at a county probate office.
Who files the marriage paperwork in Alabama?
The two people who married. They deliver the completed, notarized form to a county probate office for recording.
How long do you have to file the Alabama marriage form?
Thirty days from the notarization, not from a ceremony. Confirm the deadline, the filing amount and the intake steps with the county probate office, which sets them locally.
Never miss a return deadline
RiteBinder's license tracker keeps every state's note in front of you (free, no card). On Solo it also turns the signed license into a task and reminds you before the deadline.
Confirm the current rule with the issuing office:dph1.adph.state.al.us.