Documents for a Hawaii Marriage License: Divorced, Widowed, Under 19

What to bring, by situation

Find your row, then bring what it lists for each of you. Both of you appear before the agent, so check the table once per person. DOH gives one document list for marriage and civil union licenses.

DOH's license page describes no upload step: proof of divorce or death "needs to be presented to the marriage agent by the applicant", and at the meeting the agent will "verify photo IDs and any necessary documentation", so carry your papers with you.

Keep your Locator ID with those papers. DOH says: "Please be sure to write down or print your Authorization Code/Locator Identification (ID)." DOH's Hawaii District Health Office page adds: "You will need to provide the locator ID # on your receipt when you meet with your license agent." Our page on how to apply online shows where the code appears, along with the $65 fee and the form itself.

Rows can stack. A 40-year-old whose divorce became final three weeks before pickup and who has since legally changed name brings the ID, the decree and the name change document.

Divorced or widowed: how the 30-day rule works

On the DOH license page the 30 days run back from the day you pick up the license: "less than 30 days prior to picking up the license". The date of the ceremony does not move the line.

The confirmation page EMRS shows after you finish the online form is worded differently: proof is needed if the divorce or death "was final within 30 days of applying for a marriage license". Some guides use that wording too. The table follows the DOH license page; if the divorce or death falls within 30 days of either date, bring the certified document.

DOH does not say how to count the days. If you are within a few days of the line, bring the certified decree anyway.

You still state the facts. Past the 30 days you skip the paperwork, not the question. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) 572-6 your sworn statement gives "the date of death of the last prior spouse or the date and jurisdiction in which the last decree of dissolution was entered". Look up the exact date and jurisdiction before you start the form.

The divorce must be final first. HRS 572-1(3) requires that neither party has a living "lawful wife, husband, or civil union partner", so a separation or a pending case is not enough. Once it is final, Hawaii law sets no waiting period: HRS 580-52 says "either party to the divorce may marry again at any time."

Older advice may be out of date. If a guide tells you to show every prior decree, go by the current DOH page, which has only the 30-day condition.

Where to get a certified copy before you fly

A certified decree comes from the court that entered the divorce, and birth and death certificates come from the vital records office where the event happened.

• Divorce decree: USAGov says to "contact the clerk of the county or city where you got divorced".
• Birth certificate: the vital records office of the state or territory where you were born.
• Death certificate: the vital records office of the state where the death occurred.

US readers can find each state's office in the CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records directory. CDC last reviewed the page on August 15, 2022, so confirm fees and forms with the office itself. For a document from outside the US, ask the court or registry that issued it.

Many state vital records offices also issue a divorce certificate, which is a different document from the court's decree. DOH lists the decree, so order that, and ask your agent if a certificate is all you can get.

Our advice: order before you fly, as soon as you know you need a copy. Ask the office how long it takes and leave time for mail.

Documents not in English

If you have to show a divorce decree or death certificate that is not in English, you need a certified translation as well as the document. DOH states this rule only for those two documents and says nothing about a foreign birth certificate or name change document. DOH also does not define "certified", so ask your agent what they accept before you pay a translator. Couples coming from abroad will find passport and arrival details in our page on getting married in Hawaii as a foreign visitor.

Birth certificate: who needs one

You need a certified birth certificate until your 19th birthday. From 19 on, the EMRS FAQ says proof of age "may be requested in the form of a valid government issued photo ID".

The DOH page words the rule two ways:

• Eligibility section: "A certified copy of a birth certificate must be presented for anyone 18 years of age or under."
• Documentation Required section: "Any applicant under the age of 19 must present a certified copy of their birth certificate."

Read side by side, the two sentences catch the same people: an 18-year-old falls under both and a 19-year-old under neither. The EMRS FAQ draws the same line with "age 18 and under" and "age 19 and over".

DOH does not say which date counts, the online form or the pickup. The safe course: anyone who is 18 on either date brings the certified copy. The agent decides.

Under 18: consent, and three official wordings

An applicant under 18 needs written consent; an 18-year-old brings the birth certificate but no consent. At 16 or 17 the EMRS FAQ asks for "the written consent of both parents, legal guardian or family court". The FAQ adds that parents or guardians "do not have to reside in the state".

The DOH consent sentence gives no age: "Parental or Guardian consent is required with governmental issued photo identification and documentation of relationship." The EMRS FAQ fills the gap, and HRS 572-2 ties written consent to anyone "under the age of eighteen". DOH asks applicants under 18 to contact it for more information.

Official sources do not state the minimum age the same way:

The statute text we could read is current as of January 1, 2025. BillTrack50 lists HB 729 and similar bills to raise the minimum to 18 as dead on May 8, 2026. Ask DOH what it will accept today, because its own page gives only the 18 wording.

Changed your name

Bring a certified copy of the legal name change if your name has legally changed. DOH gives only the words "if applicable", without saying when that is. Our reading is the cautious one: if the name on your application will differ from your photo ID, bring the court order or other certified document that links them.

A name you plan to take after the wedding is a separate matter. The EMRS FAQ on declaring middle and last names answers the common questions.

Close relatives: who cannot marry

First cousins can marry in Hawaii; closer relatives cannot. DOH lists no document for this, but your sworn statement must give your relationship, if any.

HRS 572-1(1) bars marriage between people who stand "in relation to each other of ancestor and descendant of any degree whatsoever, two siblings of the half as well as to the whole blood, uncle and niece, uncle and nephew, aunt and nephew, or aunt and niece". DOH puts it this way: "the blood relationship between the prospective applicants cannot be closer than first cousins."

What to confirm with the agent before you travel

DOH leaves these points open, so ask rather than assume. Agent contacts and the main office are on the DOH license page.

• Annulment or a dissolved civil union: DOH names only divorce decrees and death certificates, while HRS 572-6 speaks of "death or dissolution". Ask whether the 30-day rule covers your case.
• Close to day 30: how your agent counts the days, and whether from the application (EMRS confirmation page) or to pickup (DOH license page).
• Turning 19 around the wedding: which date counts for the birth certificate.
• Decree wording: DOH writes "proof of original divorce decree" in one section and "Certified divorce decree" in another. We advise the certified copy; ask if you only have another version.
• Certified translation: whose certification the agent accepts, and whether a foreign birth certificate or name change document needs one.
• Under 18: whether the parent or guardian must attend, and whether the consent rule covers an 18-year-old: on the DOH page the consent sentence comes right after the "18 years of age or under" sentence, so it could be read that way. The consent forms themselves come from the Marriage & Civil Union License Office, and the EMRS FAQ says how to request them.

How we checked this page

We read the DOH license page and the state's EMRS FAQ directly on November 6, 2026, compared them line by line, and re-checked the quotes from both on November 7, 2026. The legislature's site blocked our tools, so we read the Hawaii Revised Statutes sections in archived copies of the official pages and on FindLaw.

The certified-copy section rests on USAGov and CDC pages read on November 7, 2026. We did not fill in the live application form; the EMRS confirmation page wording comes from a copy of that page reached through a public search result, read on November 7, 2026. This page is a guide, not legal advice, and My Hawaii Wedding is independent of the State of Hawaii.