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Marriage ceremony in the court, is it necessary having the rings?

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Russia
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Hello everyone! I have a couple questions.

I am on a K-1 visa in US and me and my fiance are going to marry soon. I am wondering do we really need "wedding rings" if we won't have wedding itself but just ceremony in the court with judge?

Also, is this correct that there is no marriage certificates at all?

The thing is that when we got out marriage license, lady in the county court said that there is no marriage certificates but just marriage licences but they certify them somehow and I didn't understand how.

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We got married in Georgia at the courthouse - we didn't have rings and they added an extra section to the license after the service. The top of the paper we got was the license and the bottom was stating that the judge had married us with a seal and signature. I know licenses differ by states but that was how it was in Georgia :)

Make sure you get extra copies if you can of the license, a bunch of places like banks/insurance agencies wanted original copies from us to add each other to accounts and to change my name.

~AoS~

3/3/2016 Mailed AoS forms
3/17/2016 Received NoA's in Mail

4/8/2016 Biometrics as scheduled

6/17/2016 Received RFIE in the Mail

7/14/2016 Mailed RFIE response to USCIS

7/27/2016 EAD Card in Production

8/2/2016 EAD/AP Combo Card Received

8/10/2016 Interview Notice Received

9/8/2016 Interview

9/12/2016 Approval

9/23/2016 Received Green Card!

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Depends on where you get married - in some places the marriage license and marriage certificate are two separate documents, in others the marriage license becomes the marriage certificate once it is certified by the court.

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I agree with Lainie B. In the U.S. each state has different laws regarding marriage. In NJ the marriage license and marriage certificate are separate documents--the license is issued by the municipality where the U.S. citizen lives and the certificate is issued by the municipality where the marriage was performed. You can do an internet search of marriage license application rules in your state to find out what your state does.

Regarding the wedding rings, I don't believe any state requires them. My husband and I did get wedding rings, and we took photos of the two of us shopping for them. He included the photos and the receipt as evidence when he adjusted his status. Helpful in proving a bona fide marriage, but not required by USCIS.

Good luck with the rest of your journey!!

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Bermuda
Timeline

There's no legal requirement for exchanging rings to signify a marriage. They may ask about it when/if you interview for AOS (if they notice), but just explain why you decided against it.

K-1...

 

08/09/2015: I-129F mailed
08/14/2015: NOA1 received by email; hardcopy received approximately 08/17/2015
09/14/2015: NOA2 received
09/30/2015: NVC received case
10/02/2015: CEAC status changed to "In Transit"
10/08/2015: CEAC status changed to "Ready"
10/09/2015: Consulate acknowledged receipt via phone; Hardcopy from US DoS with case number.
10/19/2015: Received information from Consulate.
10/28/2015: Medical Exam
11/17/2015: Interview...rescheduled due to computer problems. New date as yet unknown.
11/18/2015: Called in for interview and APPROVED!

11/24/2015: Picked up visa/passport and sealed packet from the Consulate! <happy dance>

02/14/2016: Arrived in the U.S. (POE was Bermuda)...CO was really nice!

02/18/2016: Married! :)

2

AOS...

 

03/02/2016: AOS/EAD/AP Package mailed
03/14/2016: I-485/765/131 NOAs received by mail. USCIS Received Date 03/04/2016; USCIS Notice Date 03/10/2016
03/25/2016: Received biometrics appointment letter for I-485 & I-765
04/04/2016: Biometrics appointment
04/26/2016: Received notification that the I-131 was approved and the name was updated on the I-765
05/23/2016: Received notice that card was being produced for I-765.
05/28/2016: Received EAD/AP card.
06/01/2016: Received electronic notice that AOS interview has been scheduled.
06/30/2016: I-485 interview at USCIS Baltimore Field Office.
09/01/2016: InfoPass appointment made for 09/07/2016.
09/06/2016: Received electronic notification that I-485 was approved on 09/02/2016.
09/09/2016: Received approval letter.
09/14/2016: Green Card delivered! :)

 

ROC...

 

06/13/2018: I-751 package mailed to Vermont Service Center
06/25/2018: NOA/extension letter received, dated 06/19/2018

07/14/2018: Received ASC notice for Biometrics Appointment

07/25/18: Completed Biometrics

06/13/19: Received email notification of card production. I-751 approved!

06/19/19: 10yr card delivered!

 
 
 
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Filed: Lift. Cond. (apr) Country: China
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Hello everyone! I have a couple questions.

I am on a K-1 visa in US and me and my fiance are going to marry soon. I am wondering do we really need "wedding rings" if we won't have wedding itself but just ceremony in the court with judge? Check your state and local municipality's laws about marriage officiants. Generally, if you have the ceremony at the courthouse with the judge you are considered married as far as US law is concerned. (BTW your K1 visa was invalidated once you entered the US at your Port of Entry. Your current legal status is dependent on your I-94.)

Also, is this correct that there is no marriage certificates at all? If the judge in your state/municipality is considered a valid marriage officiant, then the judge can signify (by signing) your marriage license that he officiated at your marriage ceremony.

The thing is that when we got out marriage license, lady in the county court said that there is no marriage certificates but just marriage licences but they certify them somehow and I didn't understand how. Again, check with your state and/or local municipality for specifics. Generally, you go to the county clerk/recorder, etc., and purchase a marriage license, you then have a certain period of time to get married, everyone (i.e., judge (officiant), bride, groom, witnesses) signs the marriage license. The signed marriage license is then taken back to the county clerk/recorder to record the marriage. They can then issue you a Marriage Certificate. BTW, get a couple of of the Marriage Certs, if possible. Everybody and their mother always seems to want one for documentation/application purposes.

In our case, the county clerk in King County received the signed marriage license from the judge's office. It was then recorded in the county records. We could then purchase copies of recorded Marriage Certificate, which was the same Marriage License with a bunch of stamps and numbers plastered all over it.

You are going to have to due an online search for the marriage licensing rules/regulations/requirements of your state and/or local government entity, they all can vary. For example, here is the site that we used for our marriage license inquiry: http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/records-licensing/recorders-office/marriage-licensing.aspx We also purchased ten certified copies of our recorded Marriage Certificate, they were only $3/copy, at that time.

From the tone of your questions, you have some more reading to do. There is no need to have two marriage ceremonies, one before a judge and another in a church. Generally, in the US, only once is necessary.

YMMV,

Good luck on your immigration journey.

Edited by Pitaya

Completed: K1/K2 (271 days) - AOS/EAD/AP (134 days) - ROC (279 days)

"Si vis amari, ama" - Seneca

 

 

 

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Russia
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I have a quick question.

I remember that in the application for marriage license was field "birth surname"

Now, if I had another last name when I was born (never been married but just changed it cuz i didn't like it) and now I have other last name, should I put previous last name in that field?

Lady in the court said that "no" and my current last name counts as "birth surname" cuz it's in my birth certificate (russian government issued new one for me when I changed my last name 11 years ago).

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Russia
Timeline

We got married in Georgia at the courthouse - we didn't have rings and they added an extra section to the license after the service. The top of the paper we got was the license and the bottom was stating that the judge had married us with a seal and signature. I know licenses differ by states but that was how it was in Georgia :)

Make sure you get extra copies if you can of the license, a bunch of places like banks/insurance agencies wanted original copies from us to add each other to accounts and to change my name.

I see, thanks for reply, but you never leave an original copy at that places, right? Just showing them?

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