Yes — and you skip the probate-court trip and the 24-hour wait entirely. You apply for a Utah marriage license over the internet (no residency or travel required), hold the ceremony by video with a licensed Utah officiant, and South Carolina recognizes the marriage under the Full Faith and Credit Clause. In the eyes of the Palmetto State it stands exactly where a marriage performed in another state would. For the national legal background, see our guide to the legal requirements for online marriage.

Not South Carolina's own license — those are issued by the county probate court, and both partners must apply in person. Some counties let you pre-fill paperwork online, but the license itself cannot be issued without an in-person application and the mandatory 24-hour wait. You can still get a license online: a Utah license, which is valid in South Carolina under the Full Faith and Credit Clause.

It's a quirk of South Carolina law. Most states issue marriage licenses through a clerk of court or a vital records office; South Carolina assigns the job to each county's probate court under Title 20 of the state code. The practical effect is the same — an in-person visit during weekday business hours — but it surprises couples who assumed they could handle it at a clerk's window. The Utah online route skips the probate court entirely.

South Carolina requires a mandatory 24-hour wait between filing the written application and the issuance of the license. Unlike states such as Florida or Texas, there is no premarital-course discount or waiver that shortens it — everyone waits the full day. Utah has no waiting period, so the online route lets you apply and hold your ceremony far faster.

The fee depends entirely on the county and your residency: roughly $30 in Lexington County, around $45-$55 for residents in counties like Richland and Horry, and up to $120 for out-of-state applicants in Horry County. There is no blood test and no residency requirement, and once the license is issued it does not expire. By contrast, the Utah online package is a flat $370 total.

It runs through Utah's online program. You file the Utah marriage license application over the internet — no residency and no travel required — then meet a licensed Utah officiant on a scheduled video call for the ceremony, and South Carolina honors the resulting marriage under the Full Faith and Credit Clause. Legally it lands in the same place as any valid marriage solemnized outside South Carolina. For the national legal background, see our guide to the legal requirements for online marriage.

Yes. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) accepts it for driver-license name changes and Real ID, and the SC Department of Revenue, the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), SC Healthy Connections Medicaid, insurers, employers, and family courts treat it like any valid marriage certificate. The federal side is just as routine — Social Security, the IRS, and USCIS all recognize it without a second step.

Yes, and it's one of the most common reasons South Carolina couples use it. New soldiers leaving Fort Jackson and Marines graduating Parris Island often have only days before reporting to their next duty station — not enough time to apply at a probate court, wait 24 hours, and hold an in-person ceremony. The two partners can even be in different places and still complete a single legal Utah ceremony by video, with both witnesses joining remotely.

Absolutely. Many couples get legally married online first via Utah, then host a celebration on the Battery, at a Lowcountry plantation, on Folly or Hilton Head beach, or in the Upstate — with zero legal paperwork pressure on the day, because they're already married. It also takes the legal stakes out of Atlantic hurricane season, when a stalled storm can upend a coastal wedding weekend with little notice.

No. For a South Carolina license you do not need to be a resident — you can apply at the probate court in any county — but both of you must appear in person. For the Utah online route there is no residency requirement at all, which is why it works for snowbirds, tourists, and couples who live elsewhere but happen to be in South Carolina.