INSTRUCTIONS – MODIFIED MARRIAGE APPLICATION

INSTRUCTIONS – MODIFIED MARRIAGE APPLICATION PROCESS – COVID 19

A Maryland marriage license can be used—and a marriage ceremony can take place—only in the

county where the marriage license is issued. The license must be obtained and presented to the official

who will be performing the marriage ceremony before the ceremony may take place. It is the

responsibility of the parties to know the Maryland county in which the ceremony site is located, and to

obtain the marriage license from the Clerk of Circuit Court for that county or, if in Baltimore City, the

Clerk of Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Please note that Baltimore City and Baltimore County are

two separate and distinct political subdivisions, and a license issued by the Clerk of Circuit Court for

one political subdivision cannot be used in the other.

1. Determine which Maryland county/Baltimore City the marriage ceremony will take place. The

license must be obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court for that county/Baltimore City. These

instructions pertain to obtaining a marriage license in Cecil County, Maryland. Contact the Cecil

County Licensing Department by phone at 410-996-5376, fax at 1-800-569-0648, or email at

cecilcountylicensing@mdcourts.gov

2. The cost of a marriage license in Cecil County is $30.00. Payment is due upon processing the

application. Forms of payment accepted are: credit card (fillable PDF form

) or money order (no

personal checks) payable to “Clerk of Court”.

3. Complete the application form and submit by mail, fax or email with payment. If handwritten,

please make sure all information provided is legible.

4. Current marital status: This section must include information about the dissolution of EVERY

previous marriage, whether by death or divorce, including the date (month/day/year) of each event,

and the state or foreign country in which the event occurred. Attach an additional sheet if there is not

enough room on the form for this information. If a party was divorced or widowed within a year of

application, you must provide a copy of that documentation – the divorce decree or death certificate –

along with your completed application.

5. Sign and date the application and provide a daytime phone number and email address. Please

note: you are signing this document under penalty of perjury and swearing or affirming that the

information you have provided is true and accurate.

6. If a party to be married is under the age of 18, please contact our office at 410-996-5376 for

further information and instruction.

7. Once the application is processed, the Clerk’s office will mail the marriage license to the

applicant. In the alternative, an applicant can arrange to pick up the marriage license documents at the

security entrance – please call 410-996-5376 to arrange a date/time for pick up of documents.

8. In Maryland, marriage licenses do not take effect until 6:00 a.m. on the second day after the

license is issued, and licenses ordinarily remain valid for 6 months. During the emergency associated

with COVID 19, the 6-month time period is tolled. For any marriage license issued during the

emergency, the license is valid during the period of emergency and for up to 6 months after the

declaration of emergency has been rescinded. If you were issued a license prior to the state of

emergency and it has since expired, please contact our office at 410-996-5376 to discuss options.