Before you take a trip down the aisle in the United States, you will be compelled to make a pit stop at the clerk of court’s offices for a marriage license. The marriage license is the document that will give you the power to be married either in a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony. However, you will not be considered legally married until you send the completed marriage license back to the clerk of court’s office.
Requirements for the issuance of marriage licenses will vary from one state to another. Each state has its rules and regulations for issuing the licenses; therefore, you should abide by the laws of the state where you intend to get married. While making application for a marriage license, the following are some of the documents you will have to present to the Clerk of Court’s office to facilitate the issuance-:
The legal age for marriage varies from state to state in the United States. When applying for a marriage license, you will have to give proof of your age to the Clerk of Court before being issued with the license. In some states, you may be required to bring original copy of your birth certificate or certified copies of the same. If one or both partners are below the required minimum age, the certificate will be issued only if there is proof of parental consent for the two to get married.
Proof of identity is another document needed whenever you are applying for a marriage license in the United States. Most of the times, you will be required to provide your social security number. But other documents may also be accepted by the Clerk of Court as proof of identity and they include-:
Kindly remember that you are required to physically bring the original copies of the proofs when applying for the marriage license. You are not allowed to send them via any other third party or by mail.
Some states will demand you that you show proof that you are not already married to another person. In case you were married before, you must convince the clerk of court that the prior marriage has been terminated either by divorce, annulment or death. If you have never been married, some states may require you to certify you are free to marry by providing a notarized statement or signing a document.
Once you have all these proofs, you can then make application for the marriage license at the Clerk of Courts office. Depending on the state where you make the application, you may have to wait for a while before the license is granted. For most of the state however, there is no waiting period and you will walk away with the license if you meet all the requirements.