How to elope in Florida

To elope in Florida you need a marriage license from a county clerk, a person authorized to perform the ceremony, and a place. The rules are in chapter 741 of the Florida Statutes: Florida residents wait three days unless they take a premarital course, couples from out of state do not wait, and the license lasts 60 days.

I'm Nikki Seiler. I photograph elopements and small weddings around Sarasota, Bradenton and the Gulf beaches from my base in Myakka City. This guide takes each rule from the 2026 Florida Statutes and from two county clerks, checked on 1 October 2026. It describes the rules and is not legal advice, so confirm the details with the clerk where you apply.

What do you need to elope in Florida?

You need three things to elope in Florida: a license, an officiant and a place. Chapter 741 sets out the first two.

• A marriage license. Section 741.08 requires whoever performs the marriage to be given a license first. A county court judge or clerk of the circuit court issues it.
• Your identification. Section 741.04 has both of you sign an affidavit giving your ages and your Social Security numbers, or another identification number. Someone who is not a United States citizen may give an alien registration number instead.
• Two written statements. The same section asks for a statement, signed by you both, of whether you have completed a premarital preparation course, and a statement that you have both read or otherwise accessed the family law handbook.
• An officiant. Section 741.07 lists who may perform a marriage. See below.

The Sarasota County Clerk adds the practical part: both of you appear in person, each with a photo ID that shows a date of birth.

Do you need witnesses to get married in Florida?

No witness is asked for by the sections of chapter 741 that govern the license and the ceremony. They name the couple, the clerk and the officiant.

The form says the same. The Sarasota County Clerk's instructions for wedding officiants mark the signature of the first adult witness and of the second as optional. An elopement can be the two of you and the person who marries you.

Can you get married the same day in Florida?

You can get married the same day in Florida if the three-day delay does not apply to you. Section 741.04 delays the license's effective date by three days from the application when a couple does not present certificates from a premarital preparation course. It gives three ways around the delay:

• the clerk grants an exception to non-Florida residents;
• the clerk grants an exception to couples asserting hardship;
• a county court judge may waive it for Florida residents who show good cause.

Each clerk applies this in its own words. The Sarasota County Clerk's conditions, case by case, are in my guide to a Sarasota courthouse wedding.

How much does it cost to elope in Florida?

The legal part of eloping costs $116 in both Sarasota and Manatee counties: $86 for the license and $30 for a ceremony at the clerk's office. Both the Sarasota County Clerk and the Manatee County Clerk list the license at $61 for couples who complete the premarital course. Check the clerk where you apply for its own fees.

Everything past that is your choice: an officiant of your own if you marry somewhere other than the clerk's office, a place, flowers, and photographs. My elopement coverage starts at $1,800 for three or more hours, and the elopements page has what it includes.

Where can you elope in Florida?

You can elope anywhere in Florida. The Sarasota County Clerk's pre-wedding checklist says a license may be used anywhere in the State of Florida. Around Sarasota and Bradenton there are three kinds of place:

• A courthouse. The Sarasota Clerk marries couples at the Historic Courthouse and in Venice; my Sarasota courthouse wedding guide has the settings, the hours and the steps. The Manatee County Clerk, whose office is in Bradenton, lists a $30 fee for a ceremony at the Clerk's office.
• A beach. For Sarasota County's beaches, the county's tourism office, Visit Sarasota County, says permits through the county's Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department are strongly recommended for beachside weddings. Ask that department before you choose a spot.
• A venue or a garden. Anyone listed in section 741.07 can perform the ceremony at a venue, a rented house or a private garden, subject to that place's own rules.

Who can marry you in Florida?

Section 741.07 of the Florida Statutes names who may perform a marriage in Florida:

• regularly ordained ministers of the gospel, elders in communion with some church, and other ordained clergy;
• judicial officers, including retired judicial officers;
• clerks of the circuit courts;
• notaries public of this state.

So the person who marries you does not have to be a judge or a minister. A Florida notary may perform the ceremony.

Does eloping make you legally married?

An elopement with a license and an authorized officiant has what chapter 741 asks of a marriage. The chapter's rules for the license and the ceremony say nothing about guests or the size of the wedding.

Three things complete it. Section 741.08 has the person who performs the marriage make a certificate on the license and send it back, within 10 days, to the office that issued it. Section 741.041 makes a license valid for 60 days after it is issued, and no ceremony may be performed after it expires. And where the three-day delay applies, the ceremony waits until the license takes effect.