Regardless of pathway you choose to officiating a wedding in Virginia, most of your work will involve preparing for the wedding ceremony.
Learn More About How to Officiate Weddings Much of the information presented here was sourced from this page. As this can be a lengthy process, this alternative may be preferable anyways. This method also saves you the trouble of having to register with a County Clerk’s office. You can then officiate the ceremony for the couple as you normally would without the responsibility of signing the marriage license. Doing so takes care of all the legal components to the wedding. The couple can file for the marriage license and have it signed by the county judge.
An Alternative To Registration With The County ClerkĪlthough this is not ideal, there is an alternative to the rigmarole of minister registration in Virginia. This does not guarantee your successful registration but it does reduce the expense of going through the effort. This means that you have 95 opportunities for successful registration, if you are willing to take the time. Successful registration with any County Clerk gives you permission to officiate weddings anywhere in the State. One important point is that you do not need to register with the County Clerk in the county where the wedding will take place. In addition to your Ministry Credentials, the package includes their Articles of Incorporation, IRS 501c3 Certification, Bylaws, and more documentation to help with registration. American Marriage Ministries Policy in VirginiaĪmerican Marriage Ministries has instituted a policy of providing their ministers who want to attempt to register to officiate weddings in Virginia with their Virginia Minister Ordination Package at no cost. The difficulty is in contacting a County Clerk’s office that will allow you to apply. There are 95 counties in Virginia and some County Clerks will happily process your application to officiate weddings. Officiant registration can be a complicated process in Virginia. County Clerks do not have the authority to judge the validity of your credentials or implement their interpretation of the law.Īccording to the religious non-establishment clause of the first amendment, all ministers have the right to perform marriage in Virginia, regardless of how they were ordained.
While some County Clerks may agree with the opinions expressed within the Opinions Counsel letter, it is not settled case law and as defined by Virginia Code § 2.2-505, it carries no legal weight. They reference this letter as justification to refuse applications from ministers ordained online. Many clerks cite a letter written by an Opinions Counsel of the Attorney General’s Office. Since May 24th, 2010, many County Clerks in Virginia have systematically denied ministers ordained online the right to perform marriage. SYSTEMATIC MINISTER DISCRIMINATION IN VIRGINIA Virginia is the one State in the country that systematically discriminates against all ministers that were ordained online.