Getting Married in Hawaii as a Foreign Visitor: License Rules

What changes for foreign couples?

Very little changes in the license itself. The extra work comes before you travel and after the wedding.

Source: DOH, EMRS, CBP, 8 CFR 212.1 and HCCH pages listed under Sources, checked November 6, 2026.

Do you need a Social Security number?

The official paperwork asks for a Social Security number (SSN), and the online screen says "Please complete all fields". The SSN field itself has no required asterisk, and no official page we found tells applicants without a number what to do. Here is what each official document shows:

• The law: HRS §572-6, as amended in 2024, lists "each person's full name, date of birth, social security number, and residence" among the details in the sworn statement. We read it in the 2024 bill and a published copy; the Legislature's live page blocked us.
• The online form: the first EMRS applicant screen opens with "Your marriage record is vital. Please complete all fields." It has a field labeled "SSN", with the hint "Enter the ssn as 9 digits". First name, last name and date of birth carry the required asterisk. The SSN field does not.
• The paper form: lines 1d and 7d read "Social Security No." Items marked with an asterisk are optional, and these lines have none. The form has no note for applicants without a number, but it points to instructions on a reverse side that the online PDF does not include.
• The DOH requirements page and EMRS FAQ: neither mentions an SSN.

At least one commercial guide says non-citizens sign an affidavit instead. We could not find that affidavit on any DOH or EMRS page, so treat it as unconfirmed.

Which documents need a certified English translation?

DOH states the translation rule for two documents: a divorce decree and a death certificate. In its words: "If divorce decree is not written in English, you must also present a certified translation of the document." The death certificate line says the same.

You only have to present those papers if the divorce or death happened less than 30 days before you pick up the license. An older divorce is not on the DOH list. The full document checklist by situation covers the other cases.

Three gaps are worth knowing before you pay a translator:

• "Certified" is not defined. DOH names no approved translators and gives no format. Ask the agent what they accept.
• Other foreign papers are not addressed. Under-19 applicants need a certified birth certificate and a name change needs a certified document, but DOH gives no translation rule for those. Ask first.
• Agents can ask for more. DOH says "Additional documentation may be required depending on the circumstances and at the discretion of each agent."

Our advice: if your divorce is more than 30 days old, carry a copy anyway. You will also need the date and place it ended, because the application asks for them.

How does the license work on a trip from abroad?

You can do the application at home, but under DOH's published procedure the license is issued only when you both appear in person in Hawaii. A 2024 law, Act 72, lets the state allow appearance by "synchronous online access", yet on November 7, 2026 the DOH license page and agent listing still required couples to appear together in person, and we found no video option. Our walk-through of the online application, including whether you can get the license over video, covers that law and each stage. The short version:

1. Apply online from home at EMRS. Choose "Marriage", not "Civil Union": a civil union "is not the same as a marriage", and there are no refunds for choosing wrongly. The country lists cover foreign birthplaces and addresses. A P.O. box is not accepted as a home address.
2. Pay and save your code. Pay $65 by card and keep the Authorization Code/Locator ID. The application stays available to an agent for up to one year.
3. Book an agent. The DOH license page links the current agent listing, which covers all the main islands, and the online booking for the Oahu office.
4. See the agent together in Hawaii. Bring both passports and any documents that apply. The agent checks them and issues the license.
5. Marry within 30 days. The license "expires 30 days from and including the date of issuance", so one issued on June 1 runs through June 30. It is valid only in the State of Hawaii.
6. Let the officiant file. The performer certifies the ceremony electronically, and you can then access an electronic temporary certificate.

At least one commercial guide says you must finish "within 30 days of arrival". DOH never counts from arrival. The two limits it sets are the agent visit (no sooner than 30 days before the ceremony, which works out at 29 in practice, see Key facts) and the ceremony (within 30 days of pickup).

Our advice on names: type them exactly as in your passport. EMRS says names appear on the certificate as typed.

When should you arrive in Hawaii?

There is no minimum stay: with no waiting period, you could get the license and marry on the same day. We suggest landing at least two working days before the ceremony, with the agent booked before you fly. That is our planning advice, not a rule. It leaves room for a late flight or a question about a document.

Weekdays matter more than most visitors expect. The DOH main office on Oahu closes at 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and shuts on state holidays. The DOH listing warns that "most agents have limited evening and weekend availability."

Some state holidays exist only in Hawaii, so they are easy to miss from abroad:

Source: Hawaii DHRD holiday lists for 2026 to 2028, marked subject to change.

The other state holidays through 2027 are Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026; November 25, 2027), Christmas (December 25, 2026; observed December 24, 2027), New Year's Day (January 1, 2027; the 2028 holiday is observed December 31, 2027), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18, 2027), Presidents' Day (February 15, 2027), Memorial Day (May 31, 2027), Independence Day (observed July 5, 2027), Labor Day (September 6, 2027) and Veterans' Day (November 11, 2026; November 11, 2027).

Worked example. You plan a Saturday, June 12, 2027 wedding and land on Thursday evening, June 10. The DOH office has closed for the day and stays shut on Friday for King Kamehameha I Day. Your options are a private agent who has agreed a slot, or an earlier flight. Landing by Wednesday gives you Thursday at the DOH office, with a slot booked.

That office is on Oahu, so if you marry on another island, apply the same logic to a local agent.

If the date is still open, check this list alongside the best months for a Hawaii wedding.

Can you marry on ESTA or a tourist visa?

The one official answer we found comes from the US Embassy in London: if you will go home after the ceremony, you may use a B-2 visa or, if eligible, the Visa Waiver Program. DOH's license requirements list no visa or immigration status, but a US border officer decides whether you enter. This section is not visa advice.

The embassy's visa FAQ asks whether a couple "traveling to the United States to marry" who "will return to the United Kingdom after marriage" still need a fiancé(e) visa. Its answer: "If you will return to your permanent residence after the marriage ceremony, you may apply for a tourist B-2 visa, or if eligible, travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program." You must also show "a residence outside the United States that you do not intend to abandon", and the page sets no fixed form for that evidence.

The embassy's answer has limits. It is written for UK residents, and it sits in a fiancé(e) and immigrant visa FAQ without saying who the partner is. Its page data shows an update on May 8, 2025, but the same page still lists 2018 Diversity Visa lottery dates, so the FAQ text may be much older.

The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual on B visas is narrower. It is written for consular officers and covers B-2 visas for fiancé(e)s of US citizens, permanent residents and certain nonimmigrants. Such an applicant can be classified as a B-2 visitor when the officer is satisfied that the person "intends to return to a residence abroad soon after the marriage." The passage does not cover ESTA travelers or two foreign visitors marrying each other.

The manual also says that an applicant coming to marry a US citizen petitioner within 90 days of admission is classifiable as K-1.

The CBP and DHS program pages we read do not mention weddings. What CBP does say:

• The Visa Waiver Program lets citizens of 42 countries (DHS list, updated October 28, 2026) travel "for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa."
• "Authorization via ESTA does not determine whether a traveler is admissible to the United States."
• An approved ESTA is usually valid for two years, or until your passport expires if sooner.

If you plan to go home after the wedding, read the CBP ESTA page and answer any officer's questions truthfully. If one of you hopes to stay in the US after marrying, speak to an immigration attorney before you book.

Will your home country recognize the marriage?

Your home country decides, so check with its registry or civil status office before the wedding, not after. We make no country-by-country claims here. A Hawaii license "is only valid within the State of Hawaii", but that limits where you can marry, not where the marriage counts.

Ask your registry four things:

• Do you accept a certified copy of a Hawaii marriage certificate?
• Do you need an apostille on it?
• Do you need a certified translation, and from whom?
• Is there a deadline for registering a marriage held abroad?

The Hague Apostille Convention had 130 contracting parties as of June 30, 2026, per the HCCH. Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea and China are all on its list.

The apostille is a single certificate that replaces legalization. In Hawaii the Lieutenant Governor's office issues it. Under Hawaii Administrative Rules §2-3-3 the fee is $3 per document through December 31, 2026 and $5 from January 1, 2027; agency pages may still show $3. Our Hawaii apostille guide explains the two routes, which DOH and the Lieutenant Governor describe differently.

Budget for time as well as money when you order certified copies of the certificate and an apostille.

Source: DOH certificate and apostille pages, the state online order site, the Lieutenant Governor's office and Hawaii Administrative Rules §2-3-3, checked November 6, 2026.

Three points catch couples who live abroad:

• Delivery: the mail-in request form and the online order form both have a Country box for the address, and the online service sends copies by first-class post. No DOH page says outright that it ships abroad. A "person or agency acting on behalf of the registrant" can also order, so a US contact may help.
• Paying for a copy: an online order is paid by debit or credit card. The order terms mention a $5 Identity Verification Fee, but the price calculator did not add it on November 6, 2026, so check the total before you pay. Mail orders take a cashier's check, certified check or money order.
• Paying for an apostille: for the certificate fee, DOH's apostille page accepts only a money order or cashier's check. It says not to use the online process and asks for a prepaid return envelope. The apostille fee itself can be prepaid by card through the Lieutenant Governor's online portal.