A Bexar County marriage license costs $80, requires both applicants to appear together at the County Clerk’s office with valid photo ID, and takes effect after a 72-hour waiting period. Most couples finish the paperwork in a single visit if they arrive with the right documents. The license is good for 90 days and can be used for a ceremony anywhere in Texas.
Who Can Apply
Both applicants must be at least 18. The only route around that is a court order removing the legal disabilities of a minor, which is a separate proceeding decided before the Clerk will issue anything.1State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.003 – Application for License by Minor
Both people must be currently unmarried. A prior formal or informal (common-law) marriage has to be legally dissolved first. If either applicant was divorced in Texas within the last 30 days, the Clerk cannot issue a license unless the couple is remarrying each other.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Chapter 2
Texas also blocks marriage between close relatives by blood or adoption. The prohibited categories reach past parents and siblings to include aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, first cousins, and current or former stepparents or stepchildren.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.004 – Application Form
What to Bring
Each applicant needs a government-issued photo ID. A Texas driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID all work. Non-U.S. citizens can use a passport or a foreign government identification card, provided the name on the ID matches the name on the application exactly. The application also asks for each person’s Social Security number, date of birth, and place of birth (city, county, state).3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.004 – Application Form
Bring documentation of any prior divorce showing it’s final. If you completed a Twogether in Texas premarital course, bring the physical certificate; it reduces the fee and waives the waiting period.
Where to Apply
The Bexar County Clerk runs two permanent offices and a mobile unit:4Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Marriage Licenses
- Paul Elizondo Tower, 101 W. Nueva, Suite 120, San Antonio, TX 78205
- Southside Annex, 3505 Pleasanton Rd., San Antonio, TX 78221
- Records on the Run, a mobile unit with a published schedule on the Bexar County website
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with Wednesday hours extended to 5:45 p.m. County holidays are closed. Downtown at the Paul Elizondo Tower is the busiest location. You can begin the application online through the Clerk’s website, but you still have to finish it in person, together, and sign a sworn oath that the information is accurate.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.004 – Application Form
The Fee and Discounts
The standard license is $80, paid by cash or card. Apple Pay and tap-to-pay are not accepted.5Bexar County, Texas. Frequently Asked Questions – County Clerk: Marriage License Couples who present a Twogether in Texas certificate get a $60 discount, dropping the fee to $20.6Bexar County, Texas. Frequently Asked Questions The certificate is valid for one year from the date the course was completed.
After the wedding, certified copies of the marriage record are $8 each and are what you’ll use for name changes and other legal purposes.4Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Marriage Licenses Ordering two at the time of application saves a return trip.
The 72-Hour Waiting Period
Once the Clerk issues the license, Texas law imposes a 72-hour wait before the ceremony can happen.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.204 – 72-Hour Waiting Period Four categories of applicants are exempt:
- Active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces
- Civilian Department of Defense employees and defense contractors
- Applicants with a written judicial waiver
- Couples who completed a Twogether in Texas course within the past year and present the certificate
The Twogether in Texas course runs at least eight hours and covers communication, conflict resolution, and other relationship skills.8Texas State Law Library. Premarital Education The certificate is the same document that unlocks the $60 fee reduction, so a single course does double work.
Judicial Waivers
If none of the automatic exemptions apply, you can ask a judge to sign a waiver. The Clerk’s office provides a 72-Hour Waiver form when the license is issued, and you take it to an authorized judge, who must find good cause to allow the ceremony sooner.9Bexar County. Seventy-Two Hour Waiver Information Authorized officials include any family court judge, county judge, justice of the peace, appeals court judge, or associate judge.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.204 – 72-Hour Waiting Period Present the signed waiver and the license to whoever performs the ceremony.
How Long the License Lasts
A Bexar County marriage license is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance. If the ceremony doesn’t happen inside that window, the license expires and you have to reapply and pay the fee again.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Chapter 2 The license also works for a ceremony held anywhere in Texas, not only in Bexar County. Get it in San Antonio, marry in the Hill Country or Austin, same license.
If One of You Cannot Be There
When one applicant can’t make it to the Clerk’s office, the other applicant, or any other adult, can apply on the absent person’s behalf. The absent applicant signs a notarized affidavit with all the same personal information the counter would collect, together with proof of identity and age.10State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.006 – Absent Applicant The person who shows up brings that affidavit and the absent applicant’s ID documents to the Clerk.
Being absent for the application is not the same as being absent for the wedding. A proxy can stand in at the ceremony itself only if the absent person is a U.S. service member stationed in another country in support of combat or another military operation.10State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.006 – Absent Applicant Civilian applicants who skip the application still have to show up in person to get married.
Already Living as Spouses
If you’re not looking for a license because you consider yourselves already married, Texas recognizes informal (common-law) marriages when three conditions are met: both parties agreed to be married, lived together in Texas as spouses, and represented to others that they were married. No minimum time period applies.11State of Texas. Texas Family Code 2.402 – Declaration and Registration of Informal Marriage
Couples who meet all three can file a Declaration of Informal Marriage with the Bexar County Clerk for $45.4Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Marriage Licenses Both parties must appear in person with ID and sign under oath. Filing doesn’t create the marriage, but it produces an official record that makes insurance enrollment, property transfers, and other administrative tasks straightforward. Without it, proving the marriage later often means going to court.