Delaware Officiant Government Registration Requirements
Learn what the marriage officiant registration requirements are in Delaware. This page covers everything you need to know to legally officiate wedding ceremonies in Delaware.
Learn what the marriage officiant registration requirements are in Delaware. This page covers everything you need to know to legally officiate wedding ceremonies in Delaware.
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(2) The following individuals over 18 years of age may solemnize a marriage between individuals who may lawfully enter into the matrimonial relation:
a. A clergyperson or minister of any religion who resides in the State of Delaware, provided he or she is registered with the Clerk of the Peace in the county where he or she resides.
b. A clergyperson or minister of any religion who does not reside in the State of Delaware, provided he or she is registered with the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the marriage ceremony is to be performed.
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Delaware Code § 13 DE Code § 106
Yes. All online ordained ministers, including those ordained through AMM are recognized in Delaware.
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Yes. All officiants in Delaware must register with the Clerk of the Peace before they officiate a wedding. This must be the Clerk in the jurisdiction where the wedding is taking place.
The Clerk of the Peace in Delaware is responsible for officiant registration.
All Wedding Officiants in Delaware must be at least 18 years old.
Possibly. In Delaware both resident and non-resident ministers must register with the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the marriage is to take place. At this time the State of Delaware has not finalized the minister registration process, so there may be different applications depending on your residency status.
Maybe. The Delaware Clerk of the Peace has not yet finalized the minister registration process and they may provide some paperwork for you to complete prior to performing marriage.
As of 2020 the State of Delaware requires minister registration to be done through the Clerk of the Peace. As of Februrary 2021 they have not yet codified the minister registration process so the credential requirements have not been specified. We recommend that you do order your official ministry credentials as it is likely you will be asked to submit them as part of your registration.
The State of Delaware has not yet specified how much of a fee, if any, will be charged for the minister registration process. We recommend that you contact the Clerk of the Peace in the County where the marriage is to take place to learn more.
Depends on the County. We recommend that you begin your registration at least 4 - 6 weeks before the wedding.
The Del. Code tit. 13 § 106 requires that all wedding officiants must register with the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the wedding is to take place.
Successful registration with the Clerk of the Peace ony gives you the authority to officiate weddings in that county. If you plan on officiating a wedding in a different Delaware county then you will also have to register with the Clerk of the Peace in that county.
Delaware just recently became a State that requires officiant registration. Prior to 2020 wedding officiants were not required to register with any government office in Delaware. However an update to the Del. Code tit. 13 § 106 in 2020 now requires all wedding officiants to register with the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the wedding is to take place.
Due to how recently and quickly this newly amended law was passed, there are some wrinkles to be aware of in order to successfully register as a wedding officiant in Delaware. These are:
The officiant registration procedure in Delaware is handled at the county level through the office of the Clerk of the Peace. This means that the application process and required documents can vary from county to county. Also, as stated above the State has not yet codified its newly enacted officiant registration requirements.
Until such a time we cannot provide specific instructions but we can give you general guidelines to follow. First, we recommend that you contact the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the wedding is going to take place and ask them what exactly you need to do through their office before officiating the ceremony.
You will likely be asked to submit one or all of the following documents.
The Clerk of the Peace may require you to complete a simple form that they provide. Speak with the Clerk's office to clarify those details. As soon as they codify the officiant registration process we will have this information updated. In the meantime, you can continue by following these steps.
All Delaware County Clerks will require you to submit some official documentation of your ministry credentials. This will either be in the form of your Ordination Certificate, Letter of Good Standing, or both.
A "Letter of Good Standing" is the document that carries more authority. This letter states that you are a minister in Good Standing with American Marriage Ministries and that we recognize your authority to perform marriage. Your Letter of Good Standing is signed by a church officer, dated, and notarized.
If the Clerk requests a document with a live signature, then you will need to order and submit your Letter of Good Standing.
The easiest way to register with an Delaware County Clerk is to order your Delaware Minister Ordination Package or Signature Wedding Officiant Package.
Both packages contain all the required ministry credentials you need to register with any County Clerk In Delaware. This includes your Ordination Certificate and Letter of Good Standing as well as officiant training materials, such as our AMM Minister's Manual.
While you wait for your package to arrive, figure out which County you need to register with. This should be the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the wedding is to take place.
Call or email them to find out exactly what documents you need to submit to register as a wedding officiant. You can ask them something like this:
"Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME].
I am a minister of American Marriage Ministries. One of my duties is officiating wedding ceremonies and I have been asked to officiate a wedding in your county. My understanding is that as a minister I am required to register with your office prior to performing any marriages. Can you tell me what I need to do to register with your office?"
After you have received your Ministry Credentials you can then submit them to the appropriate County Clerk. We strongly recommend that you do this well in advance of the wedding in case any complications arise with your paperwork.
Provided there are no complications, it should take no more than a day or two for the County Clerk's office to process your application. Once approved by the County Clerk, you will have the authority to officiate weddings anywhere in Delaware!
Provided there are no complications, you should be authorized as soon as they receive your paperwork. If the Clerk's office is busy it may take them a few days to process your application.
Once successfully registered with the Clerk's office you will have the authority to perform marriage anywhere in Delaware.
Your next step is to learn how to officiate a wedding ceremony. If you have no experience, you are in good hands. Our Delaware Wedding Officiant Preparation Guide covers all aspects of how to prepare for a wedding ceremony.
You will learn everything from the format for a wedding ceremony, the names of the ceremony parts, how to write a wedding ceremony, and more.
If the process of planning, scripting, and performing a wedding is daunting, then you need our Wedding Helper suite of tools.
We have distilled years of experience into an easy-to-use platform with training materials, quizzes, a personalized ceremony script generator, and tips to prepare you for performing marriage, all accessible through your minister profile.
That's only the beginning. After the wedding, you can share your wedding on the AMM Wedding Wall with our nationwide network of ministers.
Become a Wedding Officiant with Our Free Online Ordination!