Officiant Government Registration

Once you are a bonafide ordained minister your next step is to check whether you need to register with a government office in the state where you will be performing marriage.

Most states do not require minister registration. For the States that do require ministers to register, it is imperative that you observe these registration requirements. Below are two lists of States, the ones that do require ministers to register followed by states that do not require minister registration.

STATES THAT REQUIRE MINISTER REGISTRATION


STATES THAT DO NOT REQUIRE MINISTER REGISTRATION

The following states have no laws requiring ministers to register with a government office prior to performing marriage.

This means that if you are performing marriage in any of these states, you do not need to worry about any registration procedures. You can focus immediately on preparing for the wedding ceremony.

If you want to confirm this for yourself, the best office to contact is the office that issues the marriage license to the couple. Depending on the state, this will either be the County Clerk, County Recorder, or in Pennsylvania the Orphan’s Court or Register of Wills.

The links below will direct you to the American Marriage Ministries website. As there is no minister registration required, there is not much more to say about these States that has not already been stated on their site.