What Documents Will You Actually Need?

Shorter list than most couples expect. Here’s what’s required at the county clerk’s office.

For both of you, every time

Valid photo ID: a passport, driver’s license, state-issued ID, or military ID. This is the core requirement and it’s the same for international and domestic applicants alike; see the marriage license basics for the broader process.

Some counties also ask about your I-94

A few county sites mention a passport with I-94 as part of what to bring, which can read as its own separate document. It isn’t: the I-94 is your US Arrival/Departure Record, the official record of when you entered the country and under what status, and it’s what a county clerk is really checking when they ask for it alongside your passport.

The part worth knowing before you show up: since 2013, CBP issues the I-94 electronically for anyone who flew or sailed into the US, not as a paper form stapled into your passport the way it used to work. That means there’s no physical copy in your passport to show a clerk. If your county wants a physical copy, you retrieve and print it yourself from CBP’s official I-94 website, not from the airline or the airport. If you don’t have a printer with you, see where to print documents in Denver for somewhere to get that done, ideally before your appointment rather than the morning of.

If either of you was married before

Expect to show a certified copy of your divorce decree, annulment order, or a former spouse’s death certificate. Most county clerks will ask for this if you’ve been married previously; it’s proof that you’re free to marry again, not paperwork specific to international applicants. If a Filipino citizen’s previous marriage ended in a divorce obtained abroad, this is worth a closer look before you assume the decree alone is enough; see the Philippines page for why.

If you don’t have a Social Security number

You’ll need a notarized affidavit in place of a number: a standard, county-provided form, not something you draft yourself. See the SSN affidavit, explained for what it is and how to handle the notarization.

Birth certificates: only for minors

A certified birth certificate is specifically a requirement for minors applying to marry, not for adult applicants generally. If you’re an adult and your birth certificate ever comes up for some other reason, know that a foreign birth certificate not in English needs a translation, and the translation itself needs to be notarized.

What’s genuinely not required

There is no “proof of relationship” document. Colorado doesn’t ask you to demonstrate how long you’ve been together, provide photos, or show any evidence of your relationship’s history, a concern some couples carry over from immigration paperwork, where that kind of proof is common. Getting a marriage license in Colorado isn’t an immigration process, and it doesn’t borrow that requirement. Colorado also doesn’t require a blood test.

This reflects consistently sourced general Colorado requirements. Individual counties can add minor procedural wrinkles; see colorado counties compared for county-specific notes as we gather them, and confirm with your specific county if you want certainty ahead of your appointment.

Quick recap

• Photo ID for both of you: always.
• I-94: not a separate document from your passport, but if your county wants a physical copy, print it yourself from CBP’s site since it’s issued electronically, not stapled into your passport.
• Divorce decree, annulment order, or death certificate: only if previously married.
• Notarized SSN affidavit: only if you don’t have a Social Security number.
• Birth certificate: only for minors.
• Proof of relationship: never required.