Eloping in Miami is easier than most people expect. If you don’t live in Florida, there’s no waiting period at all. You could get a license in the morning and be married by the afternoon.
The part that takes planning is the place. Whether a beach ceremony needs a permit depends on whose beach it is, and in some spots a ceremony isn’t allowed at all. Here’s what we found in November 2026 on official pages. Requirements and fees change, so confirm the details with the clerk or the venue before you book flights. None of this is legal advice.
The marriage license
You’ll get it from the Miami-Dade Clerk. Here are the rules on its page.
- You both have to be there, in person. Fill out the online pre-application first, and read the Family Law Handbook.
- Where: the central bureau at 601 NW 1st Court, Room 1900, open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, except legal holidays. You can book an appointment online.
- ID: an original, valid US driver’s license, state or federal ID, passport, or military ID, among others.
- Social Security number: US citizens must provide it. Non-citizens without one can give a passport number or alien registration number instead.
- If you’ve been married before: you’ll need the exact date of your last divorce, annulment or spouse’s death.
- Age: 18 or older. Age 17 has extra requirements.
It’s valid for 60 days, and it only works inside Florida. A license from any Florida county can be used anywhere in the state.
The waiting period
This is what trips up Floridians, and only Floridians.
- Visiting from outside Florida: no wait. The license works right away.
- Florida residents: a 3-day wait, unless you’ve completed a premarital course of at least 4 hours from a registered provider within the past year.
What it costs
Here the sources don’t agree, so we’ll show you what we found. The clerk’s page lists $86, or $61 with the premarital course. Other sites say $93.50, and the state statute sets the course discount at $32.50, which is the gap between $93.50 and $61. Bring enough for the higher number, or call 786-469-2400 to check. Cash and major cards are accepted.
Who can marry you
Florida law lets ordained clergy, judges, clerks and notaries solemnize a marriage. That last one is the useful one for an elopement: a Florida notary can marry you on a beach, in a garden or anywhere else you’re allowed to be.
If someone other than a deputy clerk marries you, the signed original license has to go back to the bureau within 10 days of the ceremony. Agree who is posting it before the day.
Witnesses: the clerk’s page doesn’t require any, and the statute on the return of the license doesn’t mention them. We didn’t find an official sentence saying that none are needed, though, and one Florida clerk’s FAQ describes a ceremony as performed “before a witness.” The simple answer: ask your officiant, or the clerk.
The simplest wedding in Miami
The clerk’s office performs ceremonies itself, for $30, at the central bureau or any of six district court locations. It’s open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, by appointment or walk-in.
So here’s a plan a lot of people miss: do the legal part at the clerk’s office in the morning, then have your vows wherever you like, with no paperwork riding on it. A symbolic ceremony still has to follow the place’s rules, but the marriage itself is done.
Getting married on the beach
Miami Beach has its own Ceremony & Team Building Permit for simple weddings: up to 150 people, for up to 4 hours.
- Fees: $179 for the permit from October 1, 2026, plus a security deposit. The guidelines say applicants also pay an application fee, listed at $352 for special events, but it’s not clear to us whether that applies here. Ask at 305.673.7577.
- Timing: apply at least 14 days ahead, with a site plan and an insurance certificate.
- Allowed, per the 2023 guidelines: chairs, an aisle runner, an arch or chuppah, a battery stereo and acoustic musicians.
- Not allowed: catering, glassware, generators and platforms. Everything is carried in by hand or by cart, and no vehicles on the sand.
- Turtle season: extra rules apply from April 1 to October 31.
We found no stated exemption for a couple on their own with an officiant. If that’s your plan, ask the same office before you assume you’re fine.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne lists beach wedding permits from $150 plus tax, and the lighthouse grounds from $500 plus tax with a ranger present. We could only read the state’s page through search excerpts, so call the park at 305-361-5811.
Crandon Park lists small daytime weddings among its county venues, without a clear price for one. Call the park to ask.
Gardens and places to avoid
Vizcaya sells a daytime garden ceremony, listed in its 2025 guide at $2,000 for up to 25 guests plus tax. There are no chairs or canopies, and it uses approved vendors. A ceremony can’t happen on an ordinary portrait permit: Vizcaya’s rules say it ends the shoot, with no refund.
Coral Gables doesn’t allow wedding ceremonies at its city parks, so don’t plan your vows at one because it looked pretty online.
A simple timeline
- Pick the kind of day. Legal ceremony at the clerk’s office, a beach with a permit, or both.
- Check the weather and crowds. Our month-by-month guide has the rain, the sunset times and the big events.
- Apply for any permit at least two weeks ahead.
- Book your officiant, and find out who is returning the license.
- Get the license on arrival, or a few days earlier if you’re a Florida resident without the course.
- Choose the backdrops for afterwards. Our guide to photo spots covers where you can go, and where you’ll need a permit.
Where we fit in
We photograph and film elopements across Miami, and we can help with the planning and the route as well. Send us your date and your idea on Instagram, and we’ll get back to you with the details.
