Guilford County Marriage Records
Marriage licenses and Guilford County certified marriage-license copies are handled by the Guilford County Register of Deeds, not the Clerk of Superior Court. The Register of Deeds has a Greensboro office at 201 W. Market St., First Floor, Greensboro, and a High Point office at 325 E. Russell Ave., Room 155, High Point. Marriage-license page contacts list Greensboro phone 336-641-7730 and High Point phone 336-641-7556. The general email is guilforddeeds@guilfordcountync.gov.
Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., but marriage licenses and out-of-county birth records are issued 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The research notes that Fridays and end-of-month visits can be high volume. There is no North Carolina residency requirement, no premarital medical exam, no waiting period, and the license is valid immediately. The license expires after 60 days. Both applicants should appear if possible, must provide valid ID, and must provide Social Security numbers or an affidavit of ineligibility.
Certified marriage copies for Guilford County licenses can be requested from the Register of Deeds in person or by mail. State vital records can also provide marriage certificates for statewide coverage from 1962-present, but local Register of Deeds records remain the more direct path for a Guilford license. A marriage license record should not be confused with a civil magistrate ceremony record or a later name-change record.
The Guilford County Register of Deeds page is the local office source for marriage records.
The Register of Deeds role explains why marriage license copies do not follow the same path as divorce judgments.
Apply for a Guilford Marriage License
The Register of Deeds supports an online marriage-license application and in-office completion. Divorced applicants provide the month and year of the last divorce. If the divorce was the same day, a certified decree is required. Under-18 applicants must contact the Register of Deeds. Ceremonies require two witnesses, and magistrate ceremonies require the packet from Register of Deeds plus exact cash for the ceremony fee.
- Complete the online marriage application or prepare to complete the application at the Register of Deeds.
- Bring valid ID and Social Security number, or the affidavit if a Social Security number cannot be provided.
- Both applicants should appear if possible and answer prior-marriage and residence questions.
- Pay the marriage license fee and optional keepsake certificate fee if desired.
- Use the license within 60 days and return the completed license for recording after the ceremony.
The Guilford marriage-license page gives local license requirements and ceremony notes.
Those local requirements supply the license timing, office-hour, ID, and magistrate ceremony details.
Guilford Marriage Application Fields
The official online application captures identity, residence, marital history, birth information, education, and parent information for both applicants. The field set is detailed, so applicants should gather prior-marriage dates, parent birth states, residence details, and ID before starting.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Yes | English and Spanish options were identified. |
| Applicant names | Yes | Applicant 1 and Applicant 2 names, suffix, and last name before first marriage. |
| Residence | Yes | Street, city, state, ZIP, county of residence, and inside-city-limits answer. |
| Birth and identity | Yes | Date of birth, birthplace county/state, optional race, and optional gender. |
| Prior marriages | Yes if applicable | Which marriage, last marriage ended date, and reason such as death, divorce, or annulment. |
| Parent information | Yes | Parent names, addresses, and birth states. |
The Guilford online marriage application is the assigned form source.
The application field inventory helps applicants avoid a failed or incomplete license visit.
Guilford Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage fees come from the Register of Deeds and state vital records sources. Divorce fees come from the North Carolina divorce packet and court-cost research. A certified Guilford marriage copy is ordered from the Register of Deeds. A divorce judgment copy is requested from the Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. The research did not locate one single official copy-fee amount for every divorce decree copy, so certified court-copy costs should be confirmed with the Clerk.
| Item | Amount | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $60 | Guilford Register of Deeds. |
| Optional keepsake certificate | $1 | Available only when license is issued. |
| Magistrate ceremony | $50 exact cash | Separate from license; two witnesses with ID required. |
| Certified Guilford marriage copy | $10 | Register of Deeds in person or by mail. |
| Divorce filing | $225 ordinary absolute divorce filing | Clerk of Superior Court. |
| Sheriff service for divorce | $30 if applicable | Service cost from divorce packet research. |
| NC Vital Records first certificate/search | $24 | State vital records. |
| NC Vital Records additional same copy | $15 | State vital records. |
The Register of Deeds fee schedule is the local fee source for marriage copies and license costs.
The fee table combines that local fee source with the divorce and state certificate fees documented in the research.
Guilford County Divorce Records
Divorce judgments and divorce case files are handled by the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. Guilford County divorce case information can be searched through Portal for public case data, through Clerk public terminals, or through paper-file inspection and copy requests. Divorce is a District Court matter in North Carolina, but the Clerk of Superior Court is the record custodian for the filed court case.
Absolute divorce requirements in the research are specific: at least one spouse currently lives in North Carolina, at least one spouse lived in North Carolina for six months before filing, and the spouses have been separated for at least one year and one day. The divorce packet warns that it is not for users seeking alimony or property and debt division. Claims for alimony and equitable distribution can be lost if not preserved before divorce judgment.
A divorce file may include pleadings, service papers, motions, orders, and the final judgment. Some financial, child-related, or sealed material may not appear in a public online result. For a certified divorce judgment, use the Clerk where the divorce was granted rather than the Register of Deeds.
The North Carolina separation and divorce page explains divorce filing requirements and court record routing.
That state source supports the separation, residency, and filing-risk language for divorce records.
North Carolina Vital Records
NC Vital Records is a certificate source, not the full court file. The state office maintains statewide marriage certificates from 1962-present and divorce certificates from 1958-present. A certificate may prove that an event was recorded, but a divorce certificate is not the same as the full divorce case file, pleadings, orders, or judgment held by the Clerk. Marriage copies for Guilford licenses can also be ordered through the Register of Deeds.
North Carolina Vital Records
Statewide certificate ordering office
North Carolina
The North Carolina marriage guidance page explains statewide marriage-license rules.
State marriage guidance confirms that the license is valid immediately and expires after 60 days.
Note: Use the Clerk for divorce judgments and case files; use Vital Records for certificate-level records only.