The Planning Checklist
Every step from your first document to bringing an apostilled certificate home, in order. Items marked international only apply if your marriage needs to be recognized outside the US; skip them if you're both US-based and staying in the US. Each item links to the full post if you want the details.
Before You Fly
- Confirm Colorado allows self-solemnization and it fits how you want to marry
- Check your country’s recognition notes for a self-solemnized (no-officiant) marriage international
- If unsure about visa or immigration status, talk to an immigration attorney before booking travel international
- Gather required documents: valid passport or ID, and any certificate of no impediment your country requires
- Get any foreign documents translated if your county or destination country requires it international
- Fill out the license application online in advance, if your county offers it, and save the confirmation number
- Decide which county you’ll apply in — each runs its own process
Planning the Trip
- Book flights into Denver and arrange a rental car — the clerk’s office, apostille office, and ceremony site are often far apart
- Pick a ceremony date and season
- Set up a travel eSIM before you land
- Sort out a dialable US phone number if a form later in the process requires one international
- Arrange how you’ll pay for US-only costs (cash, check, or money order for the apostille office)
- Pack for altitude: layers, sturdy shoes, sun protection
- Consider travel insurance in case an appointment window gets disrupted
Getting the License
- Apply in person at the county clerk’s office ($30, no waiting period, no residency requirement, no blood test)
- Bring your passport or ID and any other required documents to the appointment
- Enter your country correctly on the application — it’s a manual field international
- Know the license is valid for 35 days from issue — time the application to your ceremony date, not months ahead
- Line up a notary if your county requires one
The Ceremony
Right After the Ceremony
- Return the signed license to the county clerk within 63 days of the ceremony
- Order a certified copy of the marriage certificate from the county once it’s recorded
- Take the certified copy to the Secretary of State’s Authentications office in Denver for the apostille international
- Remember an apostille is not the same as a notarization — don’t stop at notarized international
Bringing It Home
- If you’ve already left Colorado, arrange to get the apostille by mail international
- Check your home country’s requirements for registering or translating a foreign marriage certificate international
- Check same-sex-specific recognition notes if applicable international
- Start any name-change paperwork
Want the full breakdown behind each step? Read The Guide, or check whether your specific country recognizes a self-solemnized marriage in Country-Specific Notes.