Last Updated: October 5th, 2023
5 Essential Facts to Know Before Officiating a Wedding in Montana
The facts below cover all the important aspects of what requirements you need to meet to be able to legally officiate a wedding ceremony in Montana.
1.
Who Can Officiate Weddings in Montana?
This is the relevant exerpt from the Montana Code Annotated § 40-1-301.
" (1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by a mayor, city judge, or justice of the peace, by a tribal judge, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination, Indian nation or tribe, or native group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the clerk of the district court. "
Basically, this means that as long as you are ordained through any church, you can officiate weddings.
2.
Are Online Ordinations Recognized in Montana?
Yes. All online ordained ministers, including those ordained through AMM are recognized in Montana.
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3.
Is Government Registration Required to Officiate a Wedding in Montana?
The Montana Government does not license, register, or certify ministers or wedding officiants. Officiant registration is not required in Montana to officiate a wedding.
4.
What Office Do I Register with Before Officiating a Wedding in Montana?
The Montana Government does not have any office that licenses, registers, or certifies wedding officiants.
5.
What is the Minimum Legal Age to Officiate a Wedding in Montana?
All Wedding Officiants in Montana must be at least 18 years old.
Preparing to Officiate a Wedding in Montana
As there is no officiant registration required in Montana, once ordained your next step is to start preparing to officiate the wedding. If you have not officiated a wedding before, or it has been a while, check out our Montana Officiant Ceremony Preparation page.
PREPARE FOR THE MONTANA WEDDING CEREMONY