Virginia Beach Marriage Licenses and the Circuit Court Clerk
Marriage licenses in the City of Virginia Beach come from the Circuit Court Clerk's Office. The official marriage page states that every marriage in the Commonwealth must be under a license and solemnized as the law provides. A license may be issued by the Circuit Court Clerk of any city or county in Virginia, so a couple is not tied to the city where they live. Under Va. Code § 20-14, circuit court clerks are the officials who issue these licenses.
The full text on the Virginia statute on who may issue marriage licenses confirms the Circuit Court Clerk as the issuing officer.
Because any clerk in the state can issue the license, a couple may apply at the office most convenient to them.
Timing matters here. A Virginia Beach marriage license application is only valid for 60 days. If the marriage does not take place inside that window, the application lapses. The Marriage License Division handles these matters and can be reached at 757-385-8822. The office is open weekday mornings and afternoons, so plan to arrive before the 4:00 p.m. close. The full application field list is not published online, so a quick call to the division ahead of time helps you bring the right identification and information.
The license is the document the officiant signs and returns. Once recorded, it becomes the marriage record on file with the Clerk. That recorded copy is what people later request when they need proof of the marriage for a name change, a benefit claim, or other legal use. For the office that holds all of these files, see the Clerk of Circuit Court page.
One point about the application worth flagging: the full field list for the online and counter application was not published in a form people can study ahead of time. The official page links an apply step, but it does not lay out every line. Because of that, do not assume what each applicant must provide. Call the Marriage License Division and ask. The two facts that are confirmed are simple. A license is issued by the Circuit Court Clerk, and the application stays good for 60 days. Build your plan around those two and confirm the rest by phone.
Certified Copies of Virginia Beach Marriage Records
A certified copy of a marriage license comes from the Circuit Court Clerk's Office that issued it. For a Virginia Beach marriage, that is the Virginia Beach Clerk. The certified copy carries the Clerk's seal and is accepted as proof in legal matters under Va. Code § 20-20. Virginia Beach accepts requests in person at the counter or by mail. A mail request needs the full names of both parties, the date of marriage, the place of marriage, the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope so the office can return the copy.
The Virginia marriage certified-copy evidentiary statute explains why a sealed copy stands as proof of the marriage in court.
That legal weight is the reason agencies ask for a certified copy rather than a plain photocopy of the license.
The fee is small but specific. Each certified copy costs $2.50. The issuance fee for the license itself was not located on the official Virginia Beach page, so confirm that charge with the Marriage License Division before you go. The table below lists the marriage fees that the official pages confirm.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certified copy of a marriage license | $2.50 each |
| Marriage license issuance fee | Not located; confirm with the Clerk |
Payment must be a money order, a certified check, or a personal check, each payable to the Circuit Court Clerk. Personal checks carry a local-bank rule: they must be drawn on a bank in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, or Portsmouth. An out-of-area check will not be accepted, which is a common reason a mail request gets sent back.
Virginia Beach Certified Marriage Copy Form Fields
The official certified-copy form is short. It asks for enough to find the record, the payment amount, and where to send the copy. Filling in every line keeps the request from stalling. The table below lists the fields on the form.
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Copies Requested | Number of certified copies, at $2.50 per copy |
| Amount Enclosed | Total payment included with the form |
| Name of Party | One party to the marriage |
| Name of Party | The other party to the marriage |
| Date of Marriage | The date the marriage took place |
| Daytime Phone | A phone number with area code |
| Mailing Address | Where the office should send the copies |
The form also has office-use lines for the date received and the date the copy is mailed. Leave those blank; a deputy clerk fills them in. The blank form and details sit on the official Virginia Beach marriage page, along with the link to the printable certified-copy request.
The Clerk's Virginia Beach marriage license and certified copies page hosts the application steps and the printable copy request form.
Print the form from that page, fill every line, and include the exact fee so the request does not stall.
How to Request a Virginia Beach Certified Marriage Copy
The mail process is straightforward once the form and payment are ready. The office needs the form filled out, the correct fee, and a return envelope. Because the Clerk does not take requests by email or fax, mail or an in-person visit is the route. The steps below outline a typical mail request.
- Complete the certified-copy form with both party names, the marriage date, your daytime phone, and your mailing address.
- Count the copies you need and multiply by $2.50 to find the total.
- Prepare payment by money order, certified check, or a personal check drawn on a Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, or Portsmouth bank, payable to the Circuit Court Clerk.
- Add a self-addressed stamped envelope so the office can mail the copies back.
- Mail it all to the Circuit Court Clerk's Office, Attn: Marriage License Department, 2425 Nimmo Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23456.
An in-person visit can be faster for a single copy. Bring the party names, the marriage date, and your payment to the counter, and a deputy clerk can often print and certify the copy while you wait. For mail, allow time for delivery both ways. A wrong fee or a non-local check is the usual cause of delay.
Double-check the fee math before you seal the envelope. Each certified copy is $2.50, so two copies run $5.00, three run $7.50, and so on. The Amount Enclosed line on the form should match the payment exactly. If the figures do not line up, the office may hold the request until the difference is sorted out. Send the right total the first time and the copy comes back without a second round of mail.
Virginia Beach Divorce Records in Circuit Court
Divorce cases in the City of Virginia Beach are filed and heard in the Circuit Court. The Clerk's Office holds the case files, including the final decree. Divorce is a court-of-record matter, so the same office that issues marriage licenses also keeps the divorce files, just in a different division. Most divorce case detail is open to the public, though financial and child-related material may be protected through an addendum for protected information.
Two statutes shape where and why a divorce can be filed. Grounds for divorce, both fault and no-fault, are set in Va. Code § 20-91. Venue and residency rules are in Va. Code § 20-97, which generally ties the filing to where a spouse lives. A divorce filed in Virginia Beach normally rests on Virginia Beach residency.
The Virginia divorce grounds statute lists both the fault and no-fault grounds a court will accept for ending a marriage.
Read the grounds first, since the basis you claim shapes the waiting period and the proof you must bring.
Where you file is set by the Virginia divorce venue and residency statute, which generally ties the case to where a spouse lives.
The Circuit Court page covers the trial court itself, and the Virginia Beach court records page covers the public case portals where many divorce cases can be searched by name or case number.
Divorce records and divorce filing are two different things. A search looks up an existing case. A filing starts a new one. Keep that split in mind, because the search portals and the filing process do not work the same way.
Uncontested and Contested Divorce Materials
The Circuit Court procedure page treats uncontested and contested divorces very differently. An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree, has local form support. The court lists an uncontested divorce manual, a final decree checklist, an affidavit of the moving party for a divorce without a court hearing, a Friday motion hearing notice, an order to amend a divorce complaint, an addendum for protected information, and an order restoring a former name. These help a self-represented party move a settled case through the process.
A contested divorce is harder, and the court provides less. The clerk and the court do not provide forms to file a Bill of Complaint or a Final Divorce Decree. Listed contested materials include a contested divorce manual, a judicial settlement conference order, a divorce pretrial order, a praecipe, a continuance order request, a pretrial conference brief, and Friday divorce docket materials. The absence of a starter complaint form is intentional, since a contested case usually needs a lawyer to draft pleadings.
Self-Help Warning and Legal Aid
One point comes up again and again on the court's pages. Law clerks, clerk's staff, and judicial staff cannot give legal advice. They can hand you a form or point you to a manual, but they cannot tell you what to file or how to argue your case. Proceeding without counsel can waive rights to custody and visitation, support, equitable distribution, and other claims. The court strongly encourages both parties to consult an attorney, even in an uncontested divorce.
Help is available from several sources.
- Wahab Law Library, 757-385-4419, for legal research at the courthouse.
- Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service, 1-800-552-7977, which offers a 30-minute consultation for $35.
- Virginia Legal Aid, for self-help guides and aid for those who qualify.
These resources do not replace a lawyer, but they help a self-represented party understand the process. The Lawyer Referral Service is a low-cost way to get a first read on a case before deciding how to proceed.
Important. Court staff cannot give legal advice or tell you what to file; a divorce that ignores support or property rights can be hard to undo later.
How Virginia Beach Divorce Records Are Searched and Copied
Divorce cases are Circuit Court records. Where the court participates in the statewide system, a divorce case can be searched through Circuit Court Case Information by name, case number, or hearing date. The public portals are case-information tools, not document libraries, so they show case detail but generally do not let you download the decree itself. For the actual decree, you request a copy from the Clerk.
Certified copies of a divorce decree follow the same idea as marriage copies, just through the Civil Division rather than Marriage. Plain copies at the Circuit Court level run $0.50 per sheet, and certifying an order costs $2.00. To get a certified decree, contact the Clerk with the case number or party names, the year, and your payment. For the office details and the full fee list, see the Clerk of Circuit Court page. City agency records and FOIA requests, which are separate from court files, are covered on the public records page.