How to Get a Marriage License in Raleigh (Wake County, NC)

Who issues a marriage license in Raleigh

If you searched for a Raleigh marriage license, the first thing to know is that the city does not issue it. In North Carolina, marriage licenses come from the county register of deeds. Raleigh is the county seat of Wake County, so the Wake County register of deeds is the office most Raleigh couples deal with. The same is true if you live in Cary or anywhere else in the county: your license comes from the county, not from your town.

You are also not tied to Wake County. You may apply at any county's register of deeds, and the license is valid anywhere in North Carolina. If another county's office is more convenient for you, you can use that one instead.

What you both need to bring

Both of you must appear in person at the register of deeds. One of you cannot go alone and handle it for the other. Each of you needs to bring:

•Identification

•Proof of your Social Security number

That means two sets of documents, one for each partner. Before you leave the house, check that both people have both items in hand. A missing document at the counter is the most avoidable reason to make a second trip.

What it costs and how fast it happens

The fee is $60. There is no waiting period in North Carolina, so once the license is issued you are free to marry the same day.

That gives you real flexibility. You can apply a few weeks ahead and relax, or you can apply the morning of your ceremony if your plans call for it. Either way, nothing forces you to sit out a cooling-off stretch between getting the license and getting married.

How long the license is valid

A North Carolina marriage license is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued. The clock starts on the day the office issues it, not on the day you plan to marry.

Practically, that shapes when you should apply:

•If your ceremony is within the next two months, you can apply whenever it suits you.

•If your ceremony is further out than 60 days, wait until you are inside that window, or you risk the license expiring before you use it.

•If your plans change and the date slips past 60 days, you would need a new license.

Because the license is good anywhere in the state, you do not have to marry in Wake County. A ceremony in another part of North Carolina works with a license from Wake County, as long as you are inside the 60 days.

Confirm the details before you go

The basics above are settled, but several practical details vary by office and can change. Before you head out, contact the Wake County register of deeds directly and confirm:

•The office's address and which entrance or counter to use

•Its hours, including any days it is closed

•Whether you need an appointment or can walk in

•Which payment methods it accepts for the fee

•The current fee amount, to make sure it matches what you expect

•Exactly which forms of identification and proof of Social Security number it will accept

A short call or a visit to the office's official page will answer all of this and save you from arriving with the wrong payment method or on a day the office is closed.

Once you have confirmed those points, the process is short: both of you go in together, show your documents, pay the fee, and leave with a license you can use right away and for the next 60 days.

Wake County marriage licenses, by the numbers

178 marriage licenses were filed in Wake County in the last 30 days and 5,227 in the last 12 months; the newest filing we hold is dated 2026-09-29. Month-by-month counts and the public record are on the Wake County marriage license page.

State rules checked against [Wake County Register of Deeds — Apply for a Marriage License](https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/register-deeds/apply-marriage-license). Fees and procedures change — the register of deeds has the final word. General information, not legal advice.