Online Marriage Certificates: The Official Kind and the Fun Kind

Which one do you need?

If you need proof of a legal marriage, for a visa, a name change, a mortgage or a pension, you need a certified copy from the government register where the marriage was recorded. If you want a keepsake, a gift or a fun surprise, a novelty certificate made online is what you're after, and lovepaperwork can make one in minutes.

Ordering an official marriage certificate online

An official marriage certificate is only issued after a legal marriage has been registered. You can't make one yourself, but in most countries you can order a certified copy online:

• England and Wales: order from the General Register Office through GOV.UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own registers.
• United States: contact the county clerk or recorder where the marriage licence was issued, or your state's vital records office. Many offer online ordering.
• Philippines: request a PSA marriage certificate online through the Philippine Statistics Authority, which delivers within the Philippines and abroad.
• Elsewhere: look for the civil registry or registrar's office of the place where the marriage was registered.

Fees, processing times and who is allowed to order vary by country, so always use the official government website.

Can you get legally married online?

A few places allow a fully legal marriage online. The best-known is Utah County in the United States, which issues marriage licences online and holds ceremonies over live video for couples anywhere in the world. You receive a real, registered marriage certificate, but whether your home country recognises the marriage is up to its own laws. For more, see getting married online.

Making an online marriage certificate for fun

If you don't need anything official, a virtual marriage certificate is a sweet, lighthearted keepsake. On lovepaperwork:

1. Write a virtual proposal with both names.
2. Send the private link to your partner, or your best friend.
3. When they accept, your personalised “Certificate of Virtual Marriage” is created with both names and the date.

Creating and seeing your certificate is free. A full-resolution download without the watermark is £3.99, or £4.99 for the bundle with all 3 designs, print-ready PDFs and a date ideas eBook. Every certificate states that it is a fun, non-legal affirmation of love. More on what it can and can't be used for in our guide to novelty marriage certificates.