Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry announced this week that her office will ease the identification requirements to obtain a license for a marriage or a civil union.

Effective this week, the clerk’s office will allow residents to provide one of the following forms of identification when applying for a marriage or civil union license: a valid driver’s license, a state ID, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. passport or a foreign passport.

This change will be less restrictive for citizens, while keeping in full compliance with state statute, according to a news release. The clerk’s office used to require citizens to provide a birth certificate or a passport in addition to a form of photo identification.

Staley Ferry’s office said the requirement was more restrictive than what Illinois law and many neighboring counties required. She said easing the requirement will help streamline the application process.

Residents can obtain marriage or civil union licenses, without an appointment, at the Will County Clerk's Office, located at 302 N. Chicago St. in downtown Joliet or at satellite offices in Crete, Bolingbrook and Plainfield by appointment.

More than 2,000 marriage licenses are issued and registered with the Will County Clerk's Office each year, according to the release. There were 1,960 licenses issued through August of this year. Visit thewillcountyclerk.com for more information.