Getting a Marriage License in El Paso County
The El Paso County Clerk issues marriage licenses through its Vitals Division. The County Clerk, Delia Briones, runs the main office at 500 E. San Antonio, Suite 105, plus annex locations and a mobile clerk unit. A couple can begin online or apply in person. The license is issued by the county, and the officiant returns it for recording after the ceremony.
Texas sets the rules for marriage in Family Code Chapter 2. Texas generally applies a 72-hour waiting period after a license is issued before the ceremony, unless an exception applies, and the license expires if the ceremony does not happen in time. Bring valid identification, and be ready to show proof for age, a recent divorce, or any exception.
Beyond the downtown courthouse office, the County Clerk runs annex locations to make services easier to reach. These include the Ysleta Annex on Socorro Road and the Northwest Annex in Anthony, plus a mobile clerk unit that brings in-person services to the northeast side. Hours vary by location, so confirm the office and its schedule before you go.
How to Apply for a Marriage License
The fastest start is the county's online marriage application, which collects both applicants' details before you finish at a County Clerk office.
- Start the online marriage application or visit a County Clerk location.
- Enter both applicants' identity, birth, contact, and address details.
- Answer the eligibility questions about prior marriage, divorce timing, and relationship.
- Bring valid identification and any proof needed for age or a recent divorce.
- Pay the current County Clerk marriage license fee.
- Observe the Texas waiting period unless it is waived or you qualify for an exception.
Premarital education can lower the state marriage license fee when the statutory requirements are met, so ask about that discount before you pay.
Marriage License Application Fields
The online application repeats a block of fields for each applicant. Knowing them ahead of time makes the form quick. The table below lists the main fields the county application collects.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First and Last Name | Yes | As they appear on your ID |
| Gender | Yes | Selected from a dropdown |
| Date of Birth | Yes | Format mm/dd/yyyy |
| Phone and Email | Yes | Confirmation is emailed |
| SSN | Conditional | Required for U.S. citizens |
| Place of Birth | Yes | City and state or country |
| Home Address | Yes | Mailing address if different |
| Eligibility Answers | Yes | Prior marriage, divorce timing, relationship |
Enter names exactly as they appear on your identification, since a mismatch can hold up the license. The form sends a confirmation to the email you provide, so use an address you check. U.S. citizens are asked for a Social Security number, while an applicant without one may follow a different path the office can explain.
El Paso County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Fees apply to licenses, certified copies, and divorce filings, and they are set by published schedules rather than a single flat number. The County Clerk posted a marriage license fee increase effective March 1, 2023, so confirm the current figure on the fee schedule before you pay. The items below show what each fee covers.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | Per County Clerk fee schedule (raised March 1, 2023) |
| Premarital education discount | Lowers the state fee when requirements are met |
| Certified marriage copy | Per County Clerk fee schedule |
| Divorce filing | District court filing fee; fee waiver available by affidavit |
The marriage rules behind these fees come from Texas Family Code Chapter 2, which governs the license, the waiting period, and eligibility. Card payments to the county may add a small convenience fee, so factor that in when you pay online.
How to Look Up El Paso County Marriage Records
The County Clerk runs an online marriage records search for marriages in El Paso County. Use the marriage records search to look up a record by a party's name and the date of marriage.
The page displays the first 100 records on a single search, and the County Clerk's Office can help with more. Marriage search works on name and date, so spelling counts. If a name does not appear, try a maiden name, a variant spelling, or a wider date range before asking the clerk for help. The table below lists the search fields.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | At least one criterion | Up to 25 characters |
| Middle Name | Text | No | Up to 25 characters |
| Last Name | Text | As a criterion | Up to 25 characters |
| Marriage Date From | Date | As a criterion | Cannot be later than Date To |
| Marriage Date To | Date | No | Format mm/dd/yyyy |
How to Find El Paso County Divorce Records
Divorce is not a County Clerk record. In Texas, divorce is a family district court matter, so El Paso County divorce records are searched through the civil, family, and probate case search, the same tool used for other civil cases. The family-only district courts handle divorce along with support, custody, protective orders, and adoptions.
Divorce in Texas is governed by Family Code Chapter 6, which sets residency and grounds. A divorce file can hold sensitive family, child, financial, and protective-order material, so some parts may be sealed or restricted even when the case is otherwise public.
A typical divorce file can contain a petition, service records, temporary orders, a parenting plan, child support orders, the final decree, and any later enforcement motions. Because these cases often involve children and money, the family courts may seal exhibits or limit parts of the record. The court can also send parts of the docket to a family associate judge, so the name on a hearing may differ from the main district judge.
How to File for Divorce in El Paso County
Filing a divorce follows a clear sequence, though each case differs. Self-represented filers can find forms through Texas Court Help and TexasLawHelp, and the District Clerk accepts e-filing.
- Confirm Texas residency and county venue under Family Code Chapter 6.
- Prepare the petition and any required forms.
- File with the District Clerk through eFileTexas or the permitted process.
- Pay the filing fee, or file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs.
- Serve the other spouse, unless a waiver or answer applies.
- Handle temporary orders, any mediation, child and support issues, and the final decree.
If family violence is involved, the 65th District Protective Order Court gives a fast forum to present a protective order application within the time the law allows. It can then keep related family cases, like a divorce or custody matter, between the same parties. Which family court hears a standard case depends on the county's family-only district courts.
The Texas trial courts overview explains how district courts handle family cases statewide. For the El Paso roster, see the District Court page.
Getting Certified Copies
A certified copy is the official version a court, employer, or agency may require, and an uncertified printout will not always be accepted. Certified marriage records come from the County Clerk Vitals Division. Certified divorce decrees come from the District Clerk, since divorce is a district court file.
To order, contact the right office with the names, the date, and whether you need a plain or certified copy. Fees follow each office's current schedule, so confirm the cost before you send a request.
Order early when a deadline is near, since processing and mailing take time. If you are not sure whether you need a certified or a plain copy, ask the agency that is requiring it, because the rules differ by use. A bank, a court, and an employer may each ask for something different. Confirming the exact requirement first saves a second trip to the County Clerk for the right type of copy.
El Paso County Vital Records
The County Clerk Vitals Division keeps marriage licenses along with birth and death records for El Paso County. For state-level certified copies, the Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics office also issues records, though local marriage records start with the County Clerk. Use the contact below to reach the county office.
El Paso County Clerk, Vitals Division
500 E. San Antonio Ave., Suite 105
El Paso, TX 79901
915-273-3532
Mon-Fri 8 am - 5 pm