WEDDING OFFICIANT JON

Standard vs. Confidential Marriage Licenses: What's the Difference?

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There are two different kinds of marriage licenses you may obtain: a standard license requires one or two witness signatures (anyone can sign as a witness, including a visitor from another country). The license may be obtained in any California county, and is valid for a wedding anywhere in California. For example, a marriage license obtained in Orange County could be signed at a wedding venue in Los Angeles County, and vice-versa.

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The other kind of marriage license is a confidential license. Unlike a standard license, this does not require any witness signatures. Also, the details of your marriage remain private and are not released to the public marriage record (a growing number of couples prefer this for privacy reasons). The one caveat of a confidential license is that the couple must state that they are living together (at the time the license is issued) and provide the same address.