San Francisco City Hall marriage certificate

A San Francisco City Hall wedding can be an incredible experience. City Hall is a magnificent building with its rich history and architectural marvel making your wedding a grand occasion. Many people from different parts of the world come here to San Francisco City Hall to fulfill their dream of a destination wedding. The various venues and time slots in the City Hall help you to plan your wedding ceremony within your budget or turn the occasion as a royal wedding. Below is a comprehensive guide in getting a San Francisco City Hall Marriage Certificate and an overview of the procedures to note.

Getting Married In San Francisco City Hall

As a first step book an appointment for your civil or a private ceremony with a fee of $81 or $1,002 respectively. The standard civil ceremony is the cheapest and the most efficient option. You will have to schedule an appointment to obtain the dates, marriage license, pay the fees and set up the second appointment for the actual civil ceremony. The dates are on a first come first serve basis.

Another challenging part in selecting the dates is when another party has a hold of the hall on your desired date. In order to make the booking on your desired date, you may challenge their hold by submitting a complete contract along with a check or money order of at least 75% of the full rental fee.  Once you are successful in your challenge then your deposit is not refundable or not transferred to another date.

Getting San Francisco City Hall Marriage Certificate

To avoid the last minute rush it is recommended to book your slot 90 days prior to your wedding. Also on your booked day, check in to the office 10 minutes before your ceremony. You will be assigned a number and will be asked to wait for you to meet the judge who will be solemnizing your wedding. The wedding ceremony is officially recorded by the San Francisco County Clerk Deputy Marriage Commissioner.

After the completion of your ceremony, the marriage license shall be returned to the main office in-person or by mail within ten (10) days after the ceremony. There is no fee for recording a marriage license.  A certified copy of a confidential marriage license is not available until 10 business days after receiving the license from the person solemnizing the marriage. The county clerk’s office manages the copies of San Francisco confidential marriage licenses. A nonrefundable amount of $15 is collected as search fee and the certified copy of the record is issued upon successfully finding the record. If a confidential marriage record is not found, then a certificate of no records will be issued. These copies must be purchased by a person or by mail. There is no expedited service for certified copies, so plan this with your representative and obtain your certificate accordingly.