Marriage Information

FAQs about Marriages and Marriage Commissioners

Note: Click on a question to expand or collapse content.

Can we get married at our local court?

Some courts may be scheduling marriage ceremonies, as long as there is compliance with physical distancing practices and the number of attendees is no greater than allowed by current pandemic orders. Check with the court where you would like to be married for the local policy (Trial Court Locations & Hours) or the Family Law Self Help Center (907-264-0819) for more information.

Can we get a marriage license during the COVID-19 crisis?

Many courts are not issuing marriage licenses at this time. The Vital Records office is still issuing marriage licenses by mail. See http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/VitalStats/Pages/default.aspx for information on the process.

The application for a marriage license says that it must be notarized at the Vital Records office or a courthouse. Is there another option to have the application notarized?

According to Vital Records staff, you can use any public notary. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has directory of notaries you can search by community. See http://aws.state.ak.us/NotaryDirectory/.

We want to have a friend marry us. Is the court still doing marriage commissioner appointments?

Most courts are still appointing marriage commissioners. For more information on what is required, see https://www.courts.alaska.gov/trialcourts/index.htm#marriage. The best way to request an appointment is by e-mail. E-mail contact information for courts is at: https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/efiling.htm.