Marrying before getting SSN

[afoyoswa 178]

Like many of us, my fiance and I would like to get legally married very soon after he enters the US with his K-1 visa (and then have the friends/family wedding ~2 months later), in order to speed up the timelines for work, travel, AOS, etc. However, when I checked the requirements to apply for a marriage license in my state (Massachusetts), it appears that the state requires a SSN from both parties in order to satisfy federal reporting requirements to do with making sure people are in the US legally. We would rather not wait the 2 weeks until being able to apply for the SSN (and I imagine that it takes even longer after the application to receive the number).

How does this work if you are in the US legally on a K-1 visa but do not yet have a SSN? People must get around this if it is possible to get married on a tourist visa and then return back to your home country for CR-1, as some people do. Does anyone have experience with this, particularly in my state?

Thanks in advance for any helpful experiences/information that anyone can contribute!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

There was a federal law passed that states cannot require a SSN from people that do not have one. If you read the Mass by-laws more carefully, I am confident you will discover that SSN is not required if the person does not have one. I have checked many states and have had the same result each time. The tricky part may be, however, training clerks in their own state laws.

[Joandjo 20]

Like many of us, my fiance and I would like to get legally married very soon after he enters the US with his K-1 visa (and then have the friends/family wedding ~2 months later), in order to speed up the timelines for work, travel, AOS, etc. However, when I checked the requirements to apply for a marriage license in my state (Massachusetts), it appears that the state requires a SSN from both parties in order to satisfy federal reporting requirements to do with making sure people are in the US legally. We would rather not wait the 2 weeks until being able to apply for the SSN (and I imagine that it takes even longer after the application to receive the number).

How does this work if you are in the US legally on a K-1 visa but do not yet have a SSN? People must get around this if it is possible to get married on a tourist visa and then return back to your home country for CR-1, as some people do. Does anyone have experience with this, particularly in my state?

Thanks in advance for any helpful experiences/information that anyone can contribute!

I don't know about a Federal law but my state (Texas) has an SSN requirement on their website but when I called the county clerk's office (marriage lisence office is in county clerk's office here) I discovered that we didn't have to have one.

I will also add that I put this on my timeline: That my fiance arrived on a Wednesday and we filed for her SSN on Friday. The SS office here in Texas told us it might take 2 weeks longer to get it processed since she had just arrived, but she had the SS Card in 17 days.

Good that you're looking toward the AOS, that $1070 comes real fast after all the airline tickets, honeymoons, etc.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Joandjo

[Therealworld 90]

I am from mass and you do not need a ssnumber in order to get married. You never did. You need one to file taxes and to be able to claim that you are married and him.

[Sean86 31]

Like many of us, my fiance and I would like to get legally married very soon after he enters the US with his K-1 visa (and then have the friends/family wedding ~2 months later), in order to speed up the timelines for work, travel, AOS, etc. However, when I checked the requirements to apply for a marriage license in my state (Massachusetts), it appears that the state requires a SSN from both parties in order to satisfy federal reporting requirements to do with making sure people are in the US legally. We would rather not wait the 2 weeks until being able to apply for the SSN (and I imagine that it takes even longer after the application to receive the number).

How does this work if you are in the US legally on a K-1 visa but do not yet have a SSN? People must get around this if it is possible to get married on a tourist visa and then return back to your home country for CR-1, as some people do. Does anyone have experience with this, particularly in my state?

Thanks in advance for any helpful experiences/information that anyone can contribute!

You don't need a SSN to get married. Anyone is allowed to get married ( As long as they are over 18 yrs) Even illeagal aliens or people on tourist visa can get married. The U.S. government have problems when they AOS from those categories as they would like people to do things the right way.

[Operator 1,927]

If you look at the registry office requirements for most city's and towns in MA under ID requirements it says that " Picture ID such as a driver's license. You should know your Social Security numbers." Doesn't sound like enforceable language to me.

You may need to supply a birth certificate (in English).

Massachusetts used to use our social security number as our divers license number, holy ID theft Batman!