Open Ministry - Get Ordained, Online Ordinations

Information on How to Get Ordained and Register as a Minister

How to get ordained and perform a wedding or ceremony in Illinois.

Since 2010, Open Ministry has been ordaining and helping people all over the world perform weddings, ceremony and other sacerdotal duties. This page focuses on requirements and information for Illinois, if you don't need the States Statues or ordination information for Illinois scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to other states.

Let's get started with the information for Illinois

If you are planning to or you have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Illinois, or simply need to to the information on this page will assist you. If you still have questions we invite you to visit our FAQ or contact us for more detailed information. We are here to help and support our ministers and congregation.

Registered Ministers with Open Ministry have successfully performed thousands of marriages in Illinois and around the world!

The Ordination and Officiant information is provided below in an easy five step layout which is designed help walk you through the most common steps on registering to become a minister for Illinois and how perform a wedding ceremony in Illinois.

Step 1 - How to Become Ordained Step 1 - How to Become Ordained

Step 2 - Contact The County Clerk Step 2 - Contact The County Clerk

Step 3 - Getting Licensed to Perform the Marriage Step 3 - Getting Licensed to Perform the Marriage

Step 4 - How to Perform the Wedding Step 4 - How to Perform the Wedding

State Statutes for Illinois

Credentials for Registration in Illinois

Illinois

209 Solemnization and Registration

(a) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a retired judge of a court of record, unless the retired judge was removed from office by the Judicial Inquiry Board, except that a retired judge shall not receive any compensation from the State, a county or any unit of local government in return for the solemnization of a marriage and there shall be no effect upon any pension benefits conferred by the Judges Retirement System of Illinois, by a judge of the Court of Claims, by a county clerk in counties having 2,000,000 or more inhabitants, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, or in accordance with the prescriptions of any religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group, provided that when such prescriptions require an officiant, the officiant be in good standing with his religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage, or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, both parties to the marriage, shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk within 10 days after such marriage is solemnized.
(b) The solemnization of the marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it, if either party to the marriage believed him to be so qualified or by the fact that the marriage was inadvertently solemnized in a county in Illinois other than the county where the license was issued.

Rights and Remedies - Chapter 750. Families - 5. Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act - Part II. Marriage

(Source: P.A. 95?775, eff. 1?1?09.)