Online Ordinations Acceptable

• Florida law requires all ministers to be ordained and affiliated with a church to perform weddings. Florida recognizes ministers who receive their ordination online. If you want to become ordained so that you can officiate at weddings, this could be a viable option for you. Always search any online ordination program by name in a search engine and with the Better Business Bureau to ensure that it is legitimate before signing up. Follow all instructions on the site to apply for and receive your ordination
  
  

Ordination Outside Florida

• The same law that allows online-ordained ministers to officiate at weddings also recognizes ministers who were ordained outside the state of Florida. The law specifically states that ministers who are ordained out of state can perform weddings as long as they are affiliated with a church. Similarly, members of a Quaker community may jointly take responsibility for solemnizing a wedding in keeping with the tradition of some Quaker congregations, which do not have clergy.
  
  

Church Ordination

• Florida does not have any laws regarding the process an individual church can require to ordain a minister. If you are interested in ordination by a local church, contact church officials to find out what you need to do. Florida law grants all ordained ministers the authority to officiate at weddings.
  
  

Tax-Exempt Status

• If you start your own church after ordination, you must comply with both Florida and federal laws regarding tax-exempt status. If your church is associated with an established church, it might already be tax-exempt. Otherwise you must apply to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status. Florida recognizes churches as tax-exempt if they have been accepted as such by the federal government.