Thread: Marriage License?

Do I need to apply for a marriage licence here in Wisconsin? I think I remember reading on the old FAQ page that I don't have to, but I can't find it anymore. I was fairly confident that I didn't have to until everyone here started asking me and making me second guess! Getting married in January at CN and we can't wait!!

we just returned and my temporary certificate was good enough to change my name at the s.s. office, the dmv and at my bank & employer. No one said anything about me registering it at the court house. I'm glad you asked this because I wasn't exactly clear on what we should do.

You obtain a marriage license from the jurisdiction in which you intend to wed. Since you're planning to marry in Jamaica, you will need to obtain a marriage license from the appropriate parish in Jamaica (Couples does this for you). After the marriage ceremony has taken place, the government authority that issued the license will issue the marriage certificate. There is nothing that you need to do with your marriage certificate in order to validate your marriage in the U.S. The U.S. and every state therein recognize as valid marriages legally performed in other countries. Assuming that your marriage is legal in Jamaica (e.g., you are both of marriageable age, neither of you is currently married to another, etc.), then your marriage will be legal in the U.S.

Originally Posted by magpie

. . . No one said anything about me registering it at the court house . . .

There is no process for "registering" foreign marriage certificates. The process is similar in the U.S. and Jamaica. You apply for a marriage license from the jurisdiction you intent to wed. After you marry, the officiant signs the license indicating that the ceremony has been performed, and the bride and groom sign acknowledging that they have voluntarily entered into the marriage. The license is returned to the issuing authority, which then issues the marriage certificate.

There isn't a process for "registering" foreign marriages; that misinformation previously on this website was corrected/removed. If you need another copy of your certificate, you would have to request it from the issuing authority; your state of residence couldn't issue a certified copy of the marriage certificate even if you did "register" it with them b/c a certified copy can only be issued by the authority that issued the original certificate.

Think of it this way. My husband and I were married in Michigan. We now live in New York. I didn't have to do anything to "prove" my marriage in New York.

Although you need, as you've noted, to use your marriage certificate to change your name, you'll find that you will rarely if ever need to pull it out to prove that you're married. I've been married for 24 years; I've never been asked for proof that we were married after I changed my name at the bank, the Michigan Secretary of State, and the Social Security office.

Thanks for all of your help!!