Getting married in Washington State: the 3-day wait cannot be waived, and you need 2 witnesses
The biggest difference between marrying in Washington State and marrying in California or Nevada is the waiting period: after you get the Marriage License, you have to wait 3 days before you can use it, and under state law (RCW 26.04.180) not even a court order can waive it. The ceremony needs 2 witnesses, and the officiant sends the certificate back to the issuing county within 30 days of the wedding. If you need to register the marriage in Taiwan, the certificate is authenticated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Seattle.
The details below are based mainly on King County (where Seattle is); for fees and how to apply in other Washington counties, go by each county's website.
How to apply and the fee
King County's rules (King County Recorder's Office, checked 2026-10-22):
- Fee: US$169. At the counter they take cash, checks, money orders, debit cards or credit cards; by mail they take checks, money orders or cashier's checks payable to King County Recorder, and no starter checks.
- Online: submit the application online first and keep the transaction number; after that, the two of you still have to go in person to complete it and pay.
- At the counter: 201 S. Jackson St., second floor. You can download and fill in the form ahead of time, but don't sign it; sign it when the two of you are there.
- By mail: the application has to be signed in front of a notary, who signs and stamps it, and then you mail it with the payment.
- On the form, write your current full legal name, not the name you plan to use after the wedding; the address has to be an actual mailing address, and P.O. Boxes are not accepted.
King County's page doesn't say applicants must live in Washington State; what it says is that the ceremony must take place in Washington State.
The 3-day waiting period and how long the license is valid
- Waiting period: 3 days, and it cannot be waived, not even by a court order (King County). Clark County explains that it counts from when you complete the application and pay; for example, if you apply on Monday, you can marry on Thursday (Clark County, checked 2026-10-14).
- Valid for 60 days: Clark County says 60 days after the waiting period ends. King County's page says "60 days after the waiting period ends" in one place and "the wedding must take place within 60 days of the date of issue" in another; the two don't match, so check with the issuing county. To be safe, schedule the ceremony by the earlier of the two dates.
If your schedule is tight (for example, family is only in town for a week), build the 3-day wait into it. For a comparison of waiting periods across states, see the official rules checked for 9 states.
Witnesses and the officiant
- 2 witnesses, who sign the marriage certificate right after the wedding together with the couple and the officiant (King County).
- Clergy from any state can officiate as long as their religious organization allows it, but the wedding must take place in Washington State (King County).
- The officiant must mail the marriage certificate back to the issuing county within 30 days of the wedding. If King County issued it, it goes back to King County even if you married in another county.
Requesting certified copies
- King County charges US$3 per copy, and copies are not mailed to the couple automatically; you request them separately after the record is recorded (checked 2026-10-22).
- Snohomish County charges US$3 per copy and only keeps records it issued and recorded; if you bring the completed certificate back in person, you can get certified copies the same day (checked 2026-10-14).
Authentication uses up one copy, and you'll need more later for a name change and immigration in the US, so order several at once (see item 10 of the checklist).
Registering in Taiwan and TECO in Seattle
TECO in Seattle authenticates documents issued in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (jurisdiction table from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, checked 2026-10-22). It lists two ways to register a marriage with the household registration system (TECO in Seattle, checked 2026-10-22):
- Go back to Taiwan yourself and register at the household registration office where your household is registered.
- Have the office authenticate and translate the documents first, and then the office forwards them to the household registration office where your household is registered; the page has the marriage registration form available for download.
The TECO in Seattle page doesn't give the authentication fee or processing time, so check with the office. For the 30-day deadline under the Household Registration Act and the full steps, see registering a US marriage in Taiwan in five steps; for a comparison of offices, see which TECO office to send your marriage certificate to.
Common questions
How long do you have to wait to get married in Washington State?
3 days after you get the Marriage License. Under state law it cannot be waived, not even by a court order.
How many witnesses do you need to get married in Washington State?
2. They sign the marriage certificate right after the wedding together with the couple and the officiant (King County).
How much is a marriage license in King County?
US$169. Certified copies are requested separately at US$3 each and are not mailed out automatically.
Washington State's 3-day wait, the 30-day return and registering in Taiwan all have dates on the My Wedding Plan checklist: confirming the record is item 9, certified copies item 10, and registering in Taiwan item 15. The checklist has a free version, and you can start without giving an email address.
Sources (checked 2026-10-22)
- King County: Marriage licenses (checked 2026-10-22)
- Clark County (Washington): Waiting period (checked 2026-10-14)
- Snohomish County: Certified Copies of Marriage Records (checked 2026-10-14)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle: Household registration (marriage, divorce, name change) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States: Office jurisdictions (checked 2026-10-22)