Complete a Collin County Marriage License in Person

You can start a Collin County marriage application online, but you can't finish it from your couch. Both people have to show up together at the County Clerk's office within 10 calendar days of submitting the application, or it lapses and you start over.

The clerk handles marriage licenses in both McKinney and Plano. Bring valid government-issued photo ID and your social security numbers, and make sure the name on the license matches the name on your ID exactly. A nickname or a maiden-name mismatch can stall the whole thing.

One catch trips up couples on a tight timeline: if either person's divorce was finalized within the last 30 days, you need a certified copy of the decree showing a judge waived the waiting period. Without that waiver, you simply have to wait out the 30 days before you can apply, so check this before you set a ceremony date.