Add NCOB to your Favorites List Internet Explorer, version 4 and above only
Bookmark NCOB
 Set as Default Homepage
The Outer Banks Enterprise Calendar of Events ... your source for up-to-date events throughout the Outer Banks


Click to Catch Up on the News





Welcome to the North Carolina's Outer Banks Internet Initiative

Getting Married on the Outer Banks
Image Courtesy Arbutus Photography
Getting Married on the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks of North Carolina has become a top destination for weddings. These guidelines are provided to help you understand the requirements but as is always the case regulations can change without notice. So, be sure to review these with the Register of Deeds Office either in your North Carolina county or one of the Outer Banks counties below:

To be married on North Carolina's Outer Banks, you must obtain a marriage license at any register of deeds office in the state of North Carolina.

Requirements For North Carolina Marriage License

    To Obtain a Marriage License You Will Need:

  • Photo ID
  • Birth Certificate

  1. Make a trip to any Clerk of Court’s office in North Carolina, even if it is not in the county where your wedding is taking place. All counties require that both parties be present to apply for the marriage license unless there is a circumstance that does not allow for one of the party to be in attendance–such as being stationed overseas or being in the hospital. In that case, the Clerk of Court requires a notarized affidavit of absence be submitted.

  2. Bring all necessary documents required by the state. Both parties must have valid photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, copies of both birth certificates and divorce papers if either applicant has been divorced less than 60 days. The Clerk of Court will provide you with the marriage license application, which must be filled out in their presence.

  3. Pay the Clerk of Court the fee for a marriage license. The fee is $60. North Carolina does not require a waiting period and your license can be used immediately–but it is valid only for 60 days.

  4. The legal age for marriage in North Carolina is 18. Anyone 16 or 17 years of age must bring their parents with them to apply for a marriage license, as their signature is required on the application. Anyone age 14 or 15 must obtain a court order to be allowed to marry in North Carolina. No one under the age of 14 can legally marry in the state.

Finding a Minister or Magistrate

You may find a minister at one of the churches listed in our Outer Banks Churches Directory or contact a magistrate through the appropriate Outer Banks Register of Deeds Office. There are no justices of the peace in North Carolina.

There must be 2 witnesses to any ceremony whether it is civil or religious.

The job of your officiant, minister or magistrate is to sign your marriage license and return it to the location in which you received it. This is the official record of your marriage. Certified copies can be obtained from the Register of Deeds office.

Outer Banks Wedding Sites

  • There are many beautiful churches available on the Outer Banks .. some of them date back to the early 1800s. Some are small and quaint, others just the right size for a large wedding party.

  • On Roanoke Island you will find the Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Manteo Waterfront, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, sound front housing communities

  • On the North Beaches of Duck & Corolla there is the Whalehead Club, Currituck Lighthouse, large oceanfront homes, a vineyard, hotels and resorts and the Duck Town Park

  • In Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk see the sunsets on Jockeys Ridge State Park, an airplane from the Wright Brothers Memorial, a pier, a gazebo, aboard a large boat or yacht, or at an oceanfront rental home

  • If you are thinking of having your ceremony on Hatteras Island or on the beaches on Ocracoke Island, contact the National park Service at (252) 473-2111. For information on fees and permits required on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore: http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/wedding-permits.htm

  • More information on Wedding Sites within the National Seashore can be found at http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/wedding-sites.htm



Thanks to the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce for providing much of the core content on this page

Return to the Outer Banks Shopping Village

For information on North Carolina's Outer Banks use our On-Line Request Form.
For information on Corporate Sponsorship of North Carolina's Outer Banks e-mail us at:

webmaster@outer-banks.com
Return to North Carolina's Outer Banks homepage.

Current NCOB Visitors 269010

Hosted by RAI and the East Carolina Network
Copyright © 2012