Last Updated: July 25th, 2022
Officiate a Wedding in Washoe County as an Online Ordained Minister of American Marriage Ministries. This Page Covers How To Register as a Marriage Officiant with the Washoe County Clerk.
The Nevada Revised Statutes NRS §122.066 dictates that all ministers are required to register with the Washoe County Clerk's Office as a Marriage Officiant before officiating any weddings in Washoe County.
As an AMM Ordained Minister, you are required to register with the Washoe County Clerk by completing and submitting one of the following two applications:
Since there are two different ways to apply for permission to officiate a wedding, it can be confusing knowing which one to choose.
We recommend that unless you are a Washoe County resident you should apply with the "In-State or Out-of-State Ministers" application.
From here onward we will refer to this as the Single Ceremony Application.
If you do plan on applying with the "Local Ministers Only" application you will also have to complete a background check that incurs an additional fee and extra processing time of about 2 - 3 weeks.
When factoring in cost and time, the Single Ceremony application is preferable to everyone except officiants for hire. The steps below will walk you through the registration process using the Single Ceremony application.
In order to successfully register as a wedding officiant with the Washoe County Clerk you will have to provide the following:
The Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriages is a government form that is signed by an AMM Officer and notarized that officially states that American Marriage Ministries recognizes the right of the applicant to perform marriage as an AMM Minister.
All applicants, whether resident or non-resident, are required to submit an "Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriages" form as part of their application. All counties in Nevada require ministers to provide this document when applying for permission to perform marriage.
This form needs to be signed by an AMM officer and notarized. The Clerk will only accept an original copy bearing a live signature. They will not accept copies or faxes.
American Marriage Ministries is registered as a Foreign-Corporation in Nevada in order to be in compliance with State Law. Chances are, the Clerk already has a copy of AMM's Nevada Foreign Corporation Certificate filed away.
Just in case, a hard copy is included in your Nevada Minister Ordination Package (as we will get to below). And you can also view, download, and print our Nevada Foreign Corporation Certificate from our website at any time.
The officiant registration process in Washoe County can take a few weeks. So plan ahead and start your application process well before the scheduled wedding date.
The Washoe County Clerk's office can take up to 14 business days to process your application. We recommended that you submit your application at least 3 - 4 weeks before the wedding.
Continue reading to learn how to register as a marriage officiant with the Washoe County Clerk by submitting the "Single Ceremony" application.
The fastest way to successfully register as a wedding officiant is to order your Nevada Minister Ordination Package. Make sure to select "Washoe County" when requesting your package. Your package includes all the documents required for you to successfully register as a wedding officiant in Washoe County. Your package contains:
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Please allow a few days to receive your package, as each one has to be signed by an AMM Officer and Notarized before being sent out the door. With standard shipping, you should receive your package within 3 - 5 business days unless you request expedited shipping.
Your package will contain both applications in case you are a local resident. However you will most likely be applying with the "Single Ceremony" application.
Below are point-by-point instructions on how to fill out the fields on the Single Ceremony application. Similar instructions are also included in your Nevada Minister Ordination package (as well as instructions for the "Local Ministers Only" application).
For your convenience, your package also contains a partially pre-filled Single Ceremony application. The following instructions assume these fields on the application are already completed.
You will still have to verify that your information is correct and you can always start with a fresh form by downloading the PDF below.
The official overview of the application. You should read this page carefully before continuing.
This is the official officiant application. Let's get going!
A Continuation of Your Application and Your Verification.
Important - Do not sign this document until you are in the presence of a notary. Many banks offer free notarial services to account holders, or you can find a nearby notary public with a quick internet search.
This is Your Signed and Notarized "Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriage". We have completed the Affidavit of Authority to Solemnize Marriages on your behalf.
If any of the information is incorrect, you must contact us to request a corrected affidavit.
Before submitting your application to the Clerk's office, make sure you have all of the following:
The check or money order can be written out to the "Washoe County Clerk". You can submit your completed application in person or by mail to the address below.
Washoe County Clerk
1001 E 9th Street, Bldg A
Reno, NV 89512
Processing your application can take up to 14 business days. You will be notified by the Washoe County Clerk's office once your application has been approved.
They will mail you a Certificate that authorizes you to perform marriage, along with information on how to complete a marriage license. With Certificate in hand, you will now be able to officiate a wedding in Washoe County, Nevada. Wooo!!
If you have further questions about the status of your application, you can call the Washoe County Clerk's office at 775-784-7287.
The Nevada Secretary of State's website does have a Marriage Officiant Public Database where you can search an officiant by name, church affiliation or county.
However, the tool only searches "Military" and "Permanent" officiants with an "ACTIVE" status. This database is intended primarily for professional wedding officiants that perform marriage for a living and thus need to report their income.
If your name does not show up in this database, do not worry. This is probably because the application you submitted was not for a "Permanent" status to perform marriage. As long as you were certified by the Clerk's office, you are good to go.
Your next step is to learn how to prepare for the wedding ceremony. If you have no experience, you are in good hands. Our Nevada Wedding Officiant Preparation Guide covers all aspects of preparing for all of the ceremonial aspects of the wedding. 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.
Nevada Officiant Ceremony PreparationLearn from the Pros to Officiate with Confidence!
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Need inspiration? Check out our free ceremony scripts!
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