How to Get a Marriage License in St. Thomas, USVI: What You Actually Need to Know
If you've been dreaming about a destination wedding in the Caribbean and wondering how complicated the legal side actually is, we have good news.
Getting legally married in St. Thomas is genuinely one of the simpler paths a couple can take for a destination wedding. No foreign government involvement. No apostille. No passport required for U.S. citizens. No blood tests. And your marriage is recognized in every state the moment it's done.
We're not legal experts here at The Hideaway, but we've seen enough couples come through Hull Bay that we know exactly where people get confused, where they get tripped up, and what actually matters when you're planning from the mainland.
Here is the honest version of how it works, along with the official sources for anything that could change between now and your wedding day.
You Don't Need a Passport.
But Read This Before You Pack.
St. Thomas is a U.S. territory, which means U.S. citizens travel there on domestic flights without a passport. Your REAL ID-compliant driver's license gets you through security at your departure airport and onto the plane. That part is simple.
What catches people off guard: on the return flight home, you will pass through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Technically, a REAL ID works there too, but the process moves faster with a passport or passport card, and CBP officers in St. Thomas will give you less friction with one. If either of you has a passport, bring it.
As of May 7, 2025, REAL ID is fully enforced at all TSA security checkpoints. A driver's license without the star in the upper-right corner will not get you through. Check yours before you book anything.
For guests or partners who are not U.S. citizens, a valid passport from their home country is required.
The Office That Issues the License
Marriage licenses in the U.S. Virgin Islands are issued by the Family Division of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. The St. Thomas location is at the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center, 5400 Veterans Drive, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI 00802. The office is on the 2nd Floor, South Wing, Room S219.
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the cashier window closing at 3:00 p.m
Ask for the Family Division:
Phone: (340) 774-6680
Email: family-stt@vicourts.org
E-filing portal: usvipublicportal.vicourts.org
One thing worth knowing before you walk in: the courthouse enforces a business casual dress code. Flip-flops, shorts, tank tops, and beachwear will get you turned away at security. It sounds like a minor detail until it's the day you're picking up your license and running short on time.
The V.I. Superior Court on St. Croix. Photo Credit: ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
The 8-Day Posting Period: The One Thing That Trips People Up
Every marriage application filed with the Superior Court is posted for public examination at the Clerk's Office for eight business days before a license can be issued. This is a waiting period at the application stage.
What that means practically: you need to file at least eight business days before you plan to pick up the license. Most couples file four to six weeks in advance to give themselves a comfortable buffer.
Once the license is in your hands, there is no additional waiting period. You can hold the ceremony the same afternoon.
The license is valid for three months from the date of issuance. After the ceremony, your officiant has ten days to return the completed license to the court, which triggers the mailing of your certified copies.
*The No Abbreviations Rule (High Importance)*
The Superior Court is very specific about formatting on application paperwork, and this is where couples lose time and money without expecting to.
Do not abbreviate anything on the forms. Write out "Saint Thomas," not "St. Thomas." Write out "Florida," not "FL." Write out "October," not "Oct." Write out street names in full. If the clerk has to retype your forms because of abbreviations or errors, it costs $30. It will delay processing.
Type everything. Handwritten applications are rejected. Download the most current forms directly from the e-filing portal rather than any PDF you find on a third-party site. Older versions float around online and sometimes contain outdated fields.
Fees
The total government cost for a USVI marriage license is $200.
The application fee is $100, paid at filing. The license fee is another $100, paid when the license is picked up. If the clerk has to retype forms due to errors or abbreviations, add $30. If you need the office to open on a weekend or holiday for an off-hours pickup, that's an additional $150 surcharge per couple.
Certified copies of the recorded marriage certificate cost $3 each. Most couples order two or three to have on hand for name changes, Social Security updates, insurance enrollment, and any other administrative steps at home.
How to File: E-Filing Through the C-Track Portal
The Superior Court now accepts applications and fee payments through its online C-Track Public Portal, which has significantly simplified the process for couples filing from off-island.
Create an account at usvipublicportal.vicourts.org and select "New Filing → Family-Marriage-Marriage-Regular," with the case location set to Saint Thomas/Saint John. Upload your cover letter, completed application forms, ID scans, and any required divorce decrees or death certificates as PDFs. Pay the $200 in fees by credit card. Remember: spell out every word, no abbreviations.
You should receive a case number beginning with "MG-" within about three business days of filing. If you don't see it, contact the Family Division directly at family-stt@vicourts.org or follow up with the clerk at brenda.monsanto@vicourts.org.
Both applicants still need to appear in person to sign the registry and collect the physical license in business-casual attire. The license must then be physically present at the ceremony.
Who Can Marry You
The USVI is genuinely permissive on this point. You can bring your own officiant from the mainland. A friend or family member ordained through American Marriage Ministries, the Universal Life Church, or a similar organization is legally authorized to perform the ceremony without any local registration requirement. They simply identify themselves as a clergy member of their ordaining body when signing the license.
You can also hire one of St. Thomas's professional officiants who coordinate the paperwork, ceremony, and certified copy mailing as part of their service.
We Highly Recommend Island Mike.
A former attorney turned full-time wedding officiant who has been performing ceremonies on the island's beaches for years and knows the process inside and out. Learn more at stthomasweddingofficiant.com.
Island Mike — A Wedding Officiant in Paradise | Photo Credit: stthomasweddingofficiant.com
Beach Ceremonies and What You Actually Need
Most beaches in the USVI are public, which simplifies things considerably. The rules vary by location.
Magens Bay | Photo Credit: Kathy M via Trip Advisor
On St. Thomas, Magens Bay
is the most popular wedding beach and requires a site fee in the $100 to $250 range plus a per-guest entrance fee of approximately $7 per person, paid at the park entrance on the day of the ceremony. Brewers Bay is free and often used for smaller elopements with a west-facing sunset view.
Hull Bay
Where The Hideaway at Hull Bay sits, is a local north shore beach with clear water, consistent trade winds, and a quieter feel than the more visited south shore beaches. For couples staying on the estate, the beach is directly through the gate. No permits, no fees, no coordination required beyond the property itself. Ceremonies on private property like The Hideaway's gated estate require only the property owner's permission and nothing more from a government permit standpoint, which is one of the quieter advantages of a private estate wedding over a public beach.
Trunk Bay, USVI National Park, St. John, USVI | Photo Credit: Kathy M via Trip Advisor
On St. John
Most of the island's beaches lie within Virgin Islands National Park, and a National Park Service Special Use Permit is required for any wedding inside the park, regardless of guest count. The NPS now adds a 3% surcharge to all credit card transactions for park permits. Non-U.S. residents and citizens age 16 and older are also subject to a $100 per-person surcharge at major NPS-managed areas on St. John as of 2026, unless they hold a Non-Resident Annual Pass at $250. International guests attending a St. John beach wedding should factor this into their planning.
One territory-wide rule that applies everywhere: only mineral-based sunscreens are permitted. Chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone, octinoxate, or octocrylene are prohibited to protect coral reefs and may be confiscated. Brief the wedding party before they pack.
After the Ceremony
Your officiant fills out the ceremony section of the License and Certificate of Marriage, signs it, and returns it to the Superior Court within ten days. Many local officiants and wedding planners handle this step and forward the certified copies to your home address for a small additional fee, which is worth it if you'd rather not manage logistics at the tail end of a trip.
Certified copies arrive by mail, typically two to eight weeks after the license is returned. These are what you use at home for name changes, joint filings, insurance, and anything else that requires proof of marriage. They work the same way as a marriage certificate from your home state would.
Your Marriage Is Recognized Everywhere in the U.S.
A marriage performed in the USVI carries the same legal weight as a marriage performed in any U.S. state. The Full Faith and Credit Clause and the Respect for Marriage Act of 2022 ensure that all U.S. states must recognize it. You do not re-register at home. You simply use your certified USVI marriage certificate the way you would any other.
For couples where one partner is not a U.S. citizen and needs the marriage recognized in another country, an apostille can be obtained from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor at 18 Kongens Gade in Charlotte Amalie for $25 per document with a seven to ten business day processing window.
A Realistic Planning Timeline
Six months out: Book your venue, reserve an officiant, and secure any necessary permits for your ceremony location.
Four to six weeks out: Gather your documents, type your application forms in full with no abbreviations, and file through the C-Track portal. Pay the $200 in fees.
Two weeks out: Confirm your MG-case number is in the system and that the eight-day posting period will have elapsed by your pickup date.
Day of arrival: Courthouse visit for signatures and license pickup. Business casual. Bring photo ID.
Wedding day: Bring the physical license. The officiant signs after the ceremony.
Within ten days after the ceremony: License is returned to the court.
Two to eight weeks later: Certified copies arrive by mail.
What the Weekend Looks Like at The Hideaway
Once the license is in hand and the date is set, the question most couples arrive at next is what the weekend actually feels like.
At The Hideaway at Hull Bay, the ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, and morning-after breakfast all happen on the same private estate. Your wedding party wakes up here. They walk to the ceremony through the farm pathways or down to the beach. Welcome events and rehearsal dinners happen at The Shack, our bar and restaurant right next door, before the wedding day begins. And because the estate accommodates up to 36 guests across two beachfront villas and eight cottages, nobody is scattered across separate hotels on the other side of the island.
The Hideaway's wedding planner can help couples think through the weekend's flow, from ceremony timing to farm dinner menus to vendor coordination on St. Thomas. We're not wedding planners, and we're not lawyers, but we know this island, and we know how to make the weekend feel like the occasion it's supposed to be.
If you're thinking about a St. Thomas wedding and want to see what the estate looks like, reach out at hideawayhullbay.com/events. The paperwork takes eight business days. The conversation can start today.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. U.S. citizens do not need a passport to travel to St. Thomas, USVI, as it is a U.S. territory served by domestic flights. However, a REAL ID-compliant driver's license is required as of May 7, 2025. A passport or passport card is recommended for clearing U.S. Customs on the return flight.
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The Superior Court requires an eight-business-day public posting period after the application is filed before a license can be issued. Most couples file four to six weeks in advance. Once the license is picked up, there is no additional waiting period before the ceremony.
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The baseline government cost is $200: a $100 application fee and a $100 license fee. Additional costs may include a $30 retyping fee for abbreviations or errors, a $150 weekend surcharge for off-hours pickup, and $3 per certified copy.
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Yes. A marriage performed in the U.S. Virgin Islands is recognized in all 50 U.S. states and territories under the Full Faith and Credit Clause and the Respect for Marriage Act of 2022. No re-registration is required at home.
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It depends on the beach. Magens Bay requires a site fee and per-guest entrance fees. Brewers Bay is free and open. Weddings on private property, such as a villa or estate, require only the property owner's permission. Ceremonies on St. John beaches within the Virgin Islands National Park require a National Park Service Special Use Permit.
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Yes. Ministers ordained through American Marriage Ministries, the Universal Life Church, or similar organizations are legally recognized to perform ceremonies in the USVI without local registration.
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Yes. The Hideaway at Hull Bay hosts full wedding weekends, including ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinners, and day-after celebrations on a private gated beachfront estate in Hull Bay, St. Thomas. The property accommodates up to 36 guests across 18 bedrooms. Inquire at hideawayhullbay.com.
