What you actually need to get married in Brooksville.

Couples apply early because it feels like the responsible thing to do, and then the license expires before the wedding. Apply inside the sixty days, not before them.

If you are traveling in from out of state, the three-day wait does not apply to you. You can land, collect the license and marry the same week.

An officiant is included in the package here, and they will sign and return the license after the ceremony, which is legally their job rather than yours. Collecting the license in the first place is the one piece of your wedding nobody can do on your behalf.

Everything else about the day is on the included list. If you are still choosing a venue, this is what Brooksville has.

What to bring for a marriage license in Florida?

Both of you, in person, with a photo ID that proves your age (the Hernando Clerk accepts a driver’s license, state ID, or passport), your Social Security number if you have one (Florida Statute 741.04 requires it), and the fee: $86, or $61 with a certificate from a Florida premarital preparation course taken within the past year. You will sign a statement that you have read the Family Law Handbook, and if either of you was married before, expect to be asked how and when it ended. Hernando has you start the application at a kiosk, then both appear at the Clerk’s office, 20 North Main Street, Room 165, Brooksville, 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, no applications after 4:30. Source: Hernando County Clerk; Fla. Stat. 741.04.

What’s the fastest way to get married in Florida?

If you live outside Florida there is no waiting period: license and ceremony can happen the same day, and the Hernando Clerk will marry you in its chapel for $30. Florida residents normally wait three days after applying, but the wait is waived when both of you complete a registered premarital preparation course of at least four hours within the past year, which also drops the fee to $61. The license is good for 60 days. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.04(5), 741.0305, 741.041; Hernando County Clerk.

What is the difference between a marriage license and a marriage certificate in Florida?

The license is the permission: the Clerk issues it before the wedding, it is valid for 60 days, and your officiant cannot legally marry you without it. After the ceremony the officiant signs the certificate portion of that same document and returns it to the Clerk within 10 days; the Clerk records it and transmits it to the Florida Department of Health. The marriage certificate is the recorded proof that comes back to you. Hernando mails it with one certified copy within about 30 days; additional certified copies are $3. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.08, 741.09, 382.021; Florida Department of Health; Hernando County Clerk.

Can you get married in the State of Florida without a marriage license?

No. Florida requires the officiant to see a valid Florida marriage license before performing the ceremony, and a license from another state does not count. Florida has not recognized common-law marriage for relationships that began after January 1, 1968, so there is no way around the license. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.08, 741.211; Florida Department of State notary FAQ.

Do you need two witnesses to get married in Florida?

No. No Florida statute requires witnesses at the ceremony; the signatures the law needs are yours on the application and the officiant’s on the certificate afterward. The marriage record form has space for two witnesses and many couples use it for sentimental reasons, but leaving it blank does not affect the marriage. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.08 (no witness requirement); Escambia County Clerk: “Witnesses are not required in the State of Florida.”

Can a Florida notary perform a marriage ceremony for a family member?

Yes. Florida notaries are authorized to solemnize marriages (Fla. Stat. 117.045 and 741.07). The notary law’s family restriction, now at 117.107(11), bars notarizing a signature of a spouse, parent, or child; the Florida Attorney General concluded in Opinion 91-70 that performing a relative’s wedding is not notarizing a signature, so the restriction does not apply. The notary must see a valid Florida license, perform the ceremony inside Florida, and cannot do it by video. Source: Fla. Stat. 117.045, 117.107, 117.209; AGO 91-70; Florida Department of State.

Can you legally marry without a ceremony?

No. A license alone does not make you married in Florida. An authorized officiant (clergy, a judge, a clerk of court, or a Florida notary) has to solemnize the marriage and then sign and return the license within 10 days. The ceremony does not need a script or a religion; the Department of State says any form the couple chooses suffices so long as there is an agreement by words of present assent, but it has to happen. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.07, 741.08, 741.211; Florida Department of State notary FAQ.

Do unmarried couples have rights in Florida?

Florida does not recognize common-law marriage for any relationship that began after January 1, 1968, so living together does not create a marriage or the legal rights that attach to spouses. Unmarried partners can protect each other with ordinary tools such as wills, beneficiary designations, joint titling, and health care surrogate forms, but none of it is automatic. This is a description of the statute, not legal advice; talk to a Florida attorney about your situation. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.211.

What is the hardest state to get married in?

There is no official ranking. The friction points are a waiting period, a blood test, a residency requirement, and a witness requirement, and Florida is easy on all four: a three-day wait for residents that is waived with a premarital course and does not apply to non-residents, no blood test, no residency requirement, and no witnesses required. Florida is also one of three states that let notaries public officiate. Source: Fla. Stat. 741.04(5); Hernando and Escambia County Clerks; Florida Department of State.

Fees, hours, and procedures are the Clerk’s and change; verified against hernandoclerk.com and the 2026 Florida Statutes on October 28, 2026. Confirm with the Hernando County Clerk at (352) 540-6768 before you go.