Getting your Alaska marriage license is actually super simple: you fill out a short application, get it notarized, mail it in with your fee, and Alaska mails your license back to you. Bring it to your elopement, sign it on the day, and send it back. Alaska is so spread out that doing this by mail is completely normal, and the Vital Records office does it all the time. So if you’re getting married in Alaska and thinking “how will we even do this?”, stay here and I’ll walk you through it.

As your Juneau elopement photographer, I’m also a marriage commissioner, so when we work together this part gets handled together.

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Table of Contents

• Quick facts
• Step by step
• When to apply
• Who signs on your elopement day
• After the wedding
• Common mistakes
• FAQs

Alaska Marriage License: Quick Facts

Fee	$60, or $73 to have the license mailed to you (check or money order)
Who can apply	Residents and non-residents, 18 and older
Waiting period	Ready 3 business days after your completed application is received
How long it’s good for	The application is good for a year; once issued, the license is valid for 90 days
Where it’s valid	Only for marriages in Alaska or Alaska state waters
Signatures on the day	The two of you, your officiant, and one witness
Certificate of marriage	$30, ordered after you return the signed license (you’ll need this for name changes and insurance)

Here’s the official application with all the details.

How to Get Your Alaska Marriage License, Step by Step

1. Fill out the application. It’s a few pages. Use blue or black ink, and no white-out or cross-outs or they won’t accept it.
2. Get it notarized. You both have to sign in front of a notary (or licensing officer). A notary where you live works.
3. Mail it in with your fee and copies of your photo IDs to the Vital Records office closest to where you’re getting married. For Juneau elopements, that’s the Juneau office.
4. Wait. Your license is usually ready 3 business days after they receive your completed application, plus mail time. Which given the reality of mailing things to Alaska could be up to a month for it to get here, processed and back to you, if you need it faster there are ways too, I help with that.
5. Get your marriage packet. It arrives in the mail with everything you need for the day.
6. Pack it in your carry-on, not your checked bag, inside a waterproof bag.
7. Bring it to your elopement, still in that waterproof bag.
8. Have your ceremony and sign.
9. Order your certificate of marriage using the paperwork from your wedding day.
10. Return the license. I can drop it off for you, or you can mail it.

When to Apply for Your Alaska Marriage License

Alaska is well set up for all of this by mail, but I wouldn’t wait long to take care of it. Your license is good for 90 days once it’s issued. I recommend sending everything in right around 90 days before your date. That gives the mail time to do its thing, gets everything to you when you need it, and keeps you from pushing up against the expiration date. That matters even more if you’re eloping over multiple days.

If you’re nervous about mailing it, use certified mail or a USPS flat rate envelope so you can track it. You can even include a prepaid, trackable envelope to get it back the same way.

Can we just get it when we arrive in Juneau? You can apply in person, but there’s a minimum 3 business day wait before it’s issued and I personally feel like that is an unnecessary stress/risk when mailing it in is so easy. I recommend mail every time.

How long does the whole process take? Plan for about a month from the day you send everything in.

Who Signs on Your Elopement Day

That’s basically it: the two of you, your officiant, and one witness who’s 18 or older.

Your officiant can be a marriage commissioner appointed through the Alaska court (about a 20-minute process at the courthouse IN PERSON) or someone ordained online (usually a very very quick process). I get appointed as a commissioner of marriage with the State of Alaska every year so I can officiate for my couples.

On the day, we find a good moment to sign. Usually it looks like private vows somewhere beautiful, then the legal part, where I guide you through it while I’m taking photos, and then the paperwork (i.e. singing your Alaska marriage license). Before we part ways, I make sure everything is filled out and complete. I typically offer to drop it off at the appropriate place for couples so they don’t spend any time fussing with that!

Can my photographer be our witness? Yes. Or we find someone. A boat captain, a helicopter pilot, your server, other hikers. The witness is honestly the easiest part, and my husband or a friend can fill in in a pinch.

Do we have to do a big ceremony? Not at all. Whether you want it legal, symbolic, or somewhere in between, that’s what matters. It doesn’t make it any less special or meaningful. For some couples the ceremony is the heart of the day; for others the paperwork is just logistics and the vows and the experience are what count.

After the Wedding

I recommend either dropping the signed license off at Vital Records in person. I usually offer to take it in the next day, so you know it made it and you’re not stuck waiting longer than you need to.

Once it’s registered, you can order your certificate of marriage ($30). That’s the document you need to change your name and update insurance. There are heirloom versions too, and they’re really pretty. In peak summer the certificate can take 6 to 8 weeks to arrive to you.

Changing Your Name After Your Alaska Elopement

Changing your name is totally optional. Lots of couples keep their names, hyphenate, or take one later. If you do want to change it, here’s the general order most people follow. Exact rules vary by state, so check your state’s official sites as you go.

1. Get your certified certificate of marriage first. Everything else depends on it. I’d order two or three copies so you’re not mailing your only one around.
2. Start with Social Security. Update your name with the Social Security Administration before anything else; it’s free. Many DMVs check against Social Security records, so give it a little time to update before your next stop.
3. Update your driver’s license or state ID at your state’s DMV.
4. Update your passport. Which form you use depends on how recently your passport was issued, so check the State Department’s passport site.
5. Then everything else: bank and credit cards, your employer and payroll, insurance, doctors, voter registration, utilities, subscriptions.

One travel tip: book your flights home and any honeymoon travel in the name that’s on your ID right now. Your ticket has to match your ID, and the name change won’t be official yet.

Common Mistakes I See

• Assuming it’s harder than it is. Couples overthink this part. It’s really easy.
• Planning to pick it up when they get here. There’s a 3 business day wait, and in-person offices are limited.
• Packing it in a checked bag. Then the bag gets lost.
• No waterproof bag. This is Juneau.
• No pen. It has to be blue or black ink. I always bring one.
• Worrying about a witness. We’ll find someone.

My tip for a friend: just take care of it. Send it in a little before the 90 days, flat rate envelope, done.

Want the license, the plan, and the whole day handled?

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FAQs About Getting Married in Alaska

Do you have to be an Alaska resident to get married in Alaska? Not at all. You just need to be 18 and have a notarized application.

How long do you have to wait after applying? Your license is ready 3 business days after your application is received. By mail, plan for about a month total.

Can we apply by mail before we arrive? Yes, and I highly recommend it every time.

How many witnesses do we need? One, and they have to be 18 or older. Your photographer can be your witness.

Can you legally get married on a cruise ship in Alaska waters? Yes. Your Alaska license is valid in Alaska state waters. [Read: how to elope in Juneau on a cruise stop →]

Can our photographer officiate? If they have the proper credentials. I’m appointed as a marriage commissioner every year so I can officiate for my couples.

How do we get a certified copy of our marriage certificate? Order it after your signed license is returned. It’s mailed to you and can take 6 to 8 weeks in summer.

Meet Your Juneau Elopement Photographer and Officiant

Hi, I’m Christine! I’m a Juneau elopement photographer, planner and officiant, and I’ve called Southeast Alaska home for 10 years. I’m the person you text when you wonder about the license, the weather, the cruise schedule, or where to get ready. Then I’m with you on the day, documenting every moment so you can be fully present with your person. My whole job is to make my elopements stress free and enjoyable. My packages range from photography, photo and video, or my all-inclusive helicopter package, with planning and officiating included, from 4 to 12 hours. If you’re dreaming of eloping in Juneau, I’d love to hear about it.

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