Getting married in Las Vegas from the UK.
Recognition at home, licence day, the certified copy and changing your name. Every step for UK couples, in order, checked against official sources.
Planned in UK hours. The licence fee is covered, and your official certified copy is posted home.
Is it legal at home?
Yes, with two conditions. Here they are, in the government's words.
A Las Vegas marriage is recognised in the UK if it was lawful in Nevada and it would be allowed under UK law. That's the whole test, and it applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The first condition is about doing the wedding properly in Nevada: a Clark County marriage licence, a ceremony in Nevada by an officiant licensed there, and at least one witness besides the officiant. The second is about you: you're both 18 or over, both free to marry (any earlier marriage or civil partnership legally ended), not closely related, and both marrying of your own free will. GOV.UK sets out the test here.
Same-sex couples marry in Las Vegas on exactly the same terms, and the marriage is recognised across the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Nothing to register
You don't register a Las Vegas marriage in the UK, because you can't: the UK only registers marriages that happen here. Your Clark County certified copy is your official marriage certificate, and it's the document you'll use at home.
Every step, in order.
What happens before you fly, in Las Vegas and after you're home.
Before you fly passports and ESTA
Check both passports are valid for the trip, then apply for your ESTA travel authorisation on the official site only, esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Book flights in the names on your current passports. Each of you also completes your own details on Clark County's online licence form; it stays on file for a year.
Licence day together, in person
You both visit the Marriage License Bureau at 201 E. Clark Avenue with your original passports. It's open 8am to midnight every day, holidays included, with no appointment. The visit is usually under an hour. There's no waiting period and no blood test, so you can marry the same day.
The ceremony officiant and a witness
A Nevada-licensed officiant marries you anywhere in Nevada, with at least one witness besides the officiant. Bring a friend, or we'll arrange one.
After the wedding filing and the certified copy
Your officiant files the marriage certificate with Clark County within ten days. Only then can the certified copy be ordered. We order it and post it home to you. Beware the keepsake trap: the decorative certificate some chapels give you on the day is a souvenir, not your legal certificate.
Back home changing your name
If you're changing your name, HM Passport Office accepts the official certified copy, not the souvenir from the chapel. You'll need a new passport in your new name. HMPO's guidance.
Questions UK couples ask.
Message us any time.
Is a Las Vegas wedding legal in the UK?
Yes. The UK recognises a marriage abroad if it was lawful where it took place and would be allowed under UK law, for example you're both 18 or over and free to marry. That applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Do we need to register our marriage when we get home?
No, and you can't. The UK only registers marriages that take place in the UK. Your Clark County certified copy is your official marriage certificate, and it's what you'll use at home.
What documents do UK citizens need?
Your passports. Clark County asks for original photo ID, and a UK passport is the practical choice. It doesn't ask UK citizens for a birth certificate or a Certificate of No Impediment. If you're divorced, you'll normally just need the date it ended.
Is it any different in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Recognition works the same way across the UK. Same-sex marriages from Las Vegas are recognised as marriages in Northern Ireland too, since 13 January 2020; before that they were treated as civil partnerships there.
Do we need an apostille?
We haven't found any UK body that asks for one. HM Passport Office's guidance doesn't mention it for US marriage certificates. You might want one if you'll use the certificate outside the UK; the Nevada Secretary of State issues them.
Can we change our name with the certificate?
Yes, with the official certified copy. HM Passport Office won't accept the souvenir certificate handed out on the day. You'll need a new passport in your new name, and you should book travel in the name on your current passport.
One of us is divorced. Is that a problem?
Not at all, as long as the divorce is final, with the decree absolute or final order granted before the wedding. Clark County won't normally ask to see the decree, just when your last marriage ended.
Let us handle the paperwork.
Tell us your date and what you'd love. We'll plan the wedding, tell you exactly when to collect your licence, and post your certificate home.
