Who is authorized to approve confidential marriage licenses?

In California, the authorization to approve confidential marriage licenses is specifically limited to those individuals who have the requisite authority under state law. Although most notaries cannot approve confidential marriage licenses, there are specific circumstances where this can occur.

The correct response highlights that notaries who are also priests have the authority to perform marriage ceremonies and can approve confidential marriage licenses. Any notary public by themselves does not hold that authority. The inclusion of notaries who complete a specific course offered by the county clerk may also refer to a path through which certain notaries can gain permission to process these types of marriage licenses, particularly in jurisdictions where specific training is mandated.

This means that only individuals trained and authorized in this manner—broadly, those who may have religious authority or who have undergone specific training by the county clerk—can carry out this task legally, reinforcing the idea that non-priest notaries primarily lack the ability to approve these licenses unless they meet additional training requirements. This insight helps to clarify the specialized roles and responsibilities of notaries in this unique context of marriage licensing in California.