Get your Certified Colorado Marriage Certificate

A marriage license is the document you obtain before your wedding that legally authorizes you to marry in Colorado. A marriage certificate is the official record proving your marriage took place. After your ceremony, the officiant signs the license and returns it to the appropriate office for filing. Once recorded, it becomes the official marriage certificate. You need the certificate for legal purposes like name changes, insurance benefits, tax filing, and immigration applications.

A certified copy of the marriage certificate comes from the county clerk and recorder where the marriage license was issued. CDPHE in Denver issues a certified verification of marriage by mail or in person by appointment. You can also order through VRO, which prepares your application and files it with CDPHE for you. CDPHE says mail applications can take up to 21 to 25 business days to process, plus mail time.

You can order from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) or from the County Clerk and Recorder in the county where the marriage license was issued. CDPHE accepts mail applications and in-person requests by appointment at its Denver office, and takes online orders through its own authorized online provider. To apply by mail, send the signed CDPHE application, a copy of your ID, proof of relationship if you are not one of the spouses, and the state fee to the address printed on the application.

CDPHE charges $25 for the first certified verification of a Colorado marriage record and $20 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. An heirloom certificate is $35. County clerks set their own fees for certified copies of the certificate. If you order through VRO, our service fee starts at $19 on top of the state fee.

CDPHE takes online and phone orders through its own authorized online provider. VRO is an independent preparation service: we prepare your application and send it to CDPHE by mail on your behalf. You will need the full names of both spouses, the date of marriage, and the county where the license was issued.

It depends on what you need. The County Clerk and Recorder in the county where the license was issued holds the original record and issues certified copies of the marriage certificate. CDPHE issues a certified verification from its statewide index, which is useful when you do not know the county. CDPHE says mail applications can take up to 21 to 25 business days; county turnaround varies, so check with the county office.

Yes, if they are eligible. CDPHE issues certified verifications of marriage to the spouses, ex-spouses with a direct and tangible interest, parents, stepparents, siblings, children, stepchildren, other relatives with a direct and tangible interest, and legal representatives of any of them. Everyone except the spouses must include proof of relationship, and every requester must include a copy of their ID.

Recorded marriage licenses are kept by Colorado county clerks and recorders, and access rules for copies are set by each county. At the state level, CDPHE releases certified verifications only to eligible requesters who send a copy of their ID and, when required, proof of relationship. The state index covers marriages from 1900 to 1939 and 1975 to the present.

VRO prepares and verifies your application so it reaches CDPHE complete. You fill out one online application, upload your ID and sign online, and we send it to CDPHE with the check for the state fee. Our specialists can answer questions along the way, and you receive updates until your application is delivered to CDPHE.

The CDPHE does not handle corrections to marriage certificate. Contact your local County Clerk's office if you need to amend your marriage certificate. Different forms must be completed depending on the information being amended. All changes or corrections are made as addendums to the original record; the original documents cannot be altered.

Typically, requests to correct or amend marriage records will require the following:

1. A completed amendment application
2. Supporting documentation
3. Appropriate fee(s)

You need an apostille when you file a Colorado record with a foreign government that is part of the Hague Convention. In Colorado, apostilles are issued by the Colorado Secretary of State. The document must be certified by Colorado Vital Records or by a Colorado county clerk. You can request the apostille yourself, or have VRO obtain it for you.

VRO's apostille service costs $49 (plus government fees).

To request an apostille yourself, send or bring the certified record with a completed apostilles and authentications request form to the Secretary of State:

• $5 per apostille by mail or drop-off
• $15 per apostille for expedited walk-in service
• Check or money order payable to "Colorado Secretary of State" (cards are not accepted)

The Secretary of State does not issue apostilles online. Mailed requests are processed in the order received. More information is on the Colorado Secretary of State website.