Utahns can now get their marriage licenses online
PROVO (KUTV) — Anyone getting married in Utah can now get their marriage licenses online.
The Utah County Clerk/Auditor’s Office recently launched the digital application process on its website.
Amelia Powers Gardner, the clerk/auditor says:
As far as we can see, we are the first place in the world that does a completely end-to-end digital marriage license system.
It’s not just for Utah County residents. Anyone getting married in the state can get their license from any county, according to state law.
Everywhere else in Utah — and nearly everywhere else in the country — requires the couple to appear in person, fill out paperwork and present identification.
“You and your significant other handed that to one of our clerks, who then re-typed everything you had just handwritten,” Gardner said.
She added the process was labor-intensive and susceptible to human error.
The online process takes about 10 minutes and requires both people to use one smartphone or computer, fill out a form, take a picture of their IDs and take selfies.
The system verifies their identities, without the need for human intervention. The officiant can sign off on the license online, and the couple is emailed a PDF document with the marriage license.
Utah County issues about 10,000 marriage licenses per year. This week, one of the two marriage license clerks retired and will not be replaced with another full-time staffer. Gardner said the online process will keep staffing costs low in the growing county:
Typically if you go from 10,000 marriage licenses a year to 15,000, you have to hire another person, and with that person comes full-time wages, full-time benefits, full-time pensions.
The county’s IT department developed the technology.
“It integrates with the systems we have now,” Gardner said, “and really takes the administrative burden on us off and brings incredible convenience to the citizens of Utah.”
