How to get married

[ScorpioSun 0]

This might sound like a dumb question but... neither my fiancee nor I are sure how to get married once I'm over in the states.

I'm currently in the UK in Administrative Processing purgatory, and if all is approved I will be moving to California. All I can find out for sure is that if two US citizens want to marry they'll need a marriage license in Cali, but I have no idea what kind of preparations I need to make as a K-1 immigrant. Are there any posts here or anyone who can summarise the process?

[arken 4,197]

The process is same for two US citizens or two non US citizens or two in betweens.

[mtempelaar 190]

20 minutes ago, ScorpioSun said:

This might sound like a dumb question but... neither my fiancee nor I are sure how to get married once I'm over in the states.

I'm currently in the UK in Administrative Processing purgatory, and if all is approved I will be moving to California. All I can find out for sure is that if two US citizens want to marry they'll need a marriage license in Cali, but I have no idea what kind of preparations I need to make as a K-1 immigrant. Are there any posts here or anyone who can summarise the process?

It doesn't matter whether immigrant or not.   

 

You need a marriage license, a location and a valid officiant.  Whether or not you want a full on wedding, or a simple one with a couple of witnesses, is totally up to you.    You also do not have to marry in the locality that you are moving to.  For example, you could be moving to LA but decide you really want to get married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas.  In that case would you need a license in Las Vegas, not LA and the requirements would be different.   

 

Depending on where you marry, you may be required to both have blood tests.  I had to do this in Massachusetts for my first marriage, but not in North Carolina for my second marriage.    You need to check on the requirements for the marriage license for the place you are marrying.

 

Basically you go to get your marriage license at the county clerk office for the county you are marrying in, get married by a valid officiant, and after the wedding and everything is signed, the marriage needs to be recorded by the county clerk.   Typically that last part is handled by the officiant.  But it doesn't have to be.

 

For my first marriage, the officiant registered it for us while we went on our honeynoon.  For my second one, the officiant signed, as did the witnesses, and then my husband and I took it to the county clerk ourselves to register it the next morning.  We walked out of there with the documentation we needed to move on with the next step in the immigration process.

 

This may help.  I assume it's up to date:  https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/chart-state-marriage-license-blood-29019.html

Edited July 11, 2019 by mtempelaar

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,078]

16 minutes ago, ScorpioSun said:

This might sound like a dumb question but... neither my fiancee nor I are sure how to get married once I'm over in the states.

I'm currently in the UK in Administrative Processing purgatory, and if all is approved I will be moving to California. All I can find out for sure is that if two US citizens want to marry they'll need a marriage license in Cali, but I have no idea what kind of preparations I need to make as a K-1 immigrant. Are there any posts here or anyone who can summarise the process?

For a civil ceremony in California, you'll be working with the county clerk's office in the county you want to marry in (do not marry in LA County on a K-1, as they take a very long time to produce a marriage certificate; if you will be living in LA county, get married in a neighboring county -- Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura). Some counties let you set up a civil ceremony online, some you'll have to do this in person. You'll always have to apply for a marriage license in person, but can sometimes do it that just before your civil ceremony; there's no mandated waiting period between getting a license and a wedding in CA. Fees also vary from county to county.

 

We were married in Riverside county; we went to the county clerk's office in Temecula to get a license and make a civil ceremony appointment the day after Anastasia arrived in the US. They didn't have any openings for a civil ceremony for the day we planned on (that Friday), so we ended up marrying on Thursday.

[fip & jim 452]

Google "getting married in California". It's always best to go to the direct source for correct information. 

 

You apply to the county clerk for a marriage licence. You'll need to take your ID. The marriage licence is valid for a limited period. 

 

Marriage Law Requirements for California Marriage Licenses:

To marry in California, the two parties may not be already married to each other or other individuals.

Both parties must bring in a valid ID (i.e. driver’s license, military ID, passport, or green card, etc).

Legal Age Without Parental Consent: 18.

Same Sex Marriage: Yes.

Waiting Period: None.

Blood Test Requirement: Not Required.

Residency: Not Required.

License Validity: 90 Days.

Witnesses: The public marriage license requires the signature of one witness, and if desired, has a place for an additional witness. No more than two witnesses may sign on the public marriage license. Only one signature per line is allowed. No witnesses may sign on the confidential marriage license.

California marriage license fee varies by county and is required at the time of application under CA Marriage License laws Requirements.

 

For immigration you need to make sure you get married in time for the marriage certificate to be ready to be included when you apply for adjustment of status. It took 10 days after we got married for the certificate to be ready to collect. You need to factor in these details to file in time so that you do not risk being out of status. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by fip & jim

[Limey 550]

44 minutes ago, ScorpioSun said:

This might sound like a dumb question but... neither my fiancee nor I are sure how to get married once I'm over in the states.

I'm currently in the UK in Administrative Processing purgatory, and if all is approved I will be moving to California. All I can find out for sure is that if two US citizens want to marry they'll need a marriage license in Cali, but I have no idea what kind of preparations I need to make as a K-1 immigrant. Are there any posts here or anyone who can summarise the process?

You're doing the right thing by thinking about this now. Its good to find out as much as possible in advance about the future steps.

 

As others have said, its pretty simple.

I got married in North Carolina and we just had to go to a city government office and get a license. We'd already arranged our officiant for a hotel wedding with friends and family - we gave her the license on the day of the wedding. After the wedding she submitted the paperwork for us, and we got the marriage certificate in the mail as I recall. It was pretty simple and hassle-free.

I had a social security number from 20 years before (did a j1 straight after uni) but if you don't have that its no problem - the normally just need to know reason you don't have one (eg you're a new immigrant).

[HRQX 4,145]

22 minutes ago, fip & jim said:

Google "getting married in California". It's always best to go to the direct source for correct information.

The state site is https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/California-Marriage-License-General-Information.aspx The info in your post is from a third-party site that in this case has accurate info: https://www.usmarriagelaws.com/marriage-license/california/county-clerks-recorder/office-requirements

[Ed&Midori1031 330]

Immigrant or US citizen, it's the same proccess.  Just need the two parties for the application for marriage license. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Ed&Midori1031

[Allaboutwaiting 2,480]

1) Check in which county you'll reside and search for the offices there and around -at nearby counties-.

2) Select an office and book an appointment if needed (some offices accept walk ins and for the ones that require an appointment, you can book way in advance).

3) Appear in person at the selected office and present one form of valid picture identification. (Valid picture identification is one that contains a photograph, date of birth, and an issue and expiration date.)

4) Get married at said office or the location of your choice, that same day or on any of the following 90 days after obtaining the license. (This may also require booking in advance.)

5) Wait for the marriage certificate to be available and get a copy at the office where you got the license (depending on the office, it can take from a week to over a month for the certificate to be available).

 

For marriage licenses from California, if the ceremony is not performed at the clerk's office, it must happen anywhere within the state -a house, a church, a beach, a park, etc.- Any person authorized to solemnize marriage ceremonies in California can perform the ceremony. 

 

I personally think the easiest way is to get the license at your nearest office and get married that very same day at said office. As you were advised, avoid Los Angeles County as it will delay your marriage certificate and therefore, filing for AOS.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Allaboutwaiting

[Loren Y 2,731]

I will be able to hook you up. In a previous post it was suggested I become a marriage officiant as I live in Las Vegas. I have applied, passed background check already, and I will be licensed on August 7th, 2019 after I take the official class done by the county clerk's office. I am going to offer to marry people from VJ here, especially the K1's that are looking for a quick legal marriage to satisfy the requirements. I am in Las Vegas, if you drive in on a weekday or fly in, I will pick you up at the airport, run you to the license bureau 77.00 later you have your license, I can marry you wherever you want to in Clark county. I'll marry you on the steps of the license bureau if you want, then as I understand how important it is to get certified copies of your marriage certificate, I will take you, or meet you at the clerk's office, we will register the marriage, and you can buy you official copies then and there right after I file it. I can have the whole process done in 3-4 hours if needed. I see lots of people and posts about running out of time to get married, and as long as they can get to Las Vegas within 90 days, I will help them out.

You can prefill the marriage license application online, and it will save even more time as you can go straight to the window, pay and go. Depending on traffic, could get everything done in under 2 hours I bet. 

Feel free to message me when you are ready, and I'll help you out. You might be my first marriage depending on when you can get here... LOL. But like others have said, LA county is a 3-4 week wait for the certificate, where in Vegas you can have it in hours. If my wife isn't working she said she would be a witness if you don't have one available also. She is excited to help people in the same boat as we were when she came on a K1 back in November 2018. I could use all the good karma I can get. LOL. 

[MongolianPanda 7]

3 hours ago, ScorpioSun said:

This might sound like a dumb question but... neither my fiancee nor I are sure how to get married once I'm over in the states.

I'm currently in the UK in Administrative Processing purgatory, and if all is approved I will be moving to California. All I can find out for sure is that if two US citizens want to marry they'll need a marriage license in Cali, but I have no idea what kind of preparations I need to make as a K-1 immigrant. Are there any posts here or anyone who can summarise the process?

Once you arrive in the States.. you can get married at any local court room, register recorder office, or private marriage places that are licensed. Once you get your marriage certificate, make sure to get a few "certified" copies.. you'll need to provide a certified copy to submit with your AOS package. Be sure to submit Advanced Parole and EAD with your AOS package since it's free.

[ScorpioSun 0]

This is fantastic, thanks so much for all the replies.

We did look into the "normal" marriage process but I assumed it would be different for us & wanted to check. Thanks for clarifying everything folks, we can go ahead and start planning ahead now 😄

[mnk 62]

FYI if you are going to be in LA county, our marriage certificate took two weeks to process and come in the mail. This was January 2018. So not too long, if you plan for it. Certainly not same or next-day processing if you are in a time crunch.

How to apply varies county by county -  LA county, you can apply for the marriage license online, and then pick it up (both people still have to be there with ID to pick it up); while in my local county you have to apply in person. 

 

Also something to consider: in California, either or both spouses can change middle and last names through marriage (with some guidelines, you can find when you look up applying). But you have to decide if/how names will change at the time you apply for the license, because the license/certificate states the new married names. I note this because I know that marriage certificates in other states only show the maiden names and do not specify the married names.

[Scandi 3,970]

Me (immigrant) and my husband (US citizen) ordered our California Marriage License online, the next day (which was day 4 after me entering the country) we applied for my SSN and went down to the selected office to pick up our Marriage License (here in LA county). While there we scheduled a date for our wedding ceremony at the county clerk's office about 3 weeks later. 

 

Very easy and smooth process. After the wedding we were told the marriage would be recorded in 6-8 weeks and our Marriage Certificate would then be sent to our address. We were lucky, our marriage was recorded in only 4 weeks and to speed things up we went down to the office to pick it up that same day instead of waiting for it in the mail.

 

We sent the AOS package the same day we picked up the marriage certificate.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Scandi

[Ontarkie 13,904]

~~Moved to Moving Here adn Your New Life, from K1 P&P - As the question is about getting married after entry.~~