Marriage license vs. Marriage certificate

[lucho562 0]

Hey,

Just called the county regristar's office. The prerecorded message says that a marriage licenes is only valid for 90 days. Ok, what's the difference between a marriage license and a marriage certificate??? Where do I start?? So clueless, never been married.

I urgently need to get married by friday to beat out the July 30 price hike by USCIS for AOS.

Help!!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Could it be that the licence is issued prior to the marriage, and certificate is issued after?

[Caladan 19]

The license is the form that you need in order to GET married.

The certificate is the official verification that you ARE married.

In my home county, applying for a license takes about ten minutes but there is a three-day waiting period before it can be used. Once married, the official submits the form and then you may apply for a marriage certificate which they process very quickly.

This varies by county and state, but if you want to get married by Friday, you'd best get booking on that now.

[Minya's wife 25]

The marriage license is the document which allows you to get married. Once you're married the preacher, or JP signs the license. The marriage certificate is the document which makes your marriage official according to the laws of your state. You are mailed the official certificate after you submit the signed marriage license.

-P

Edited July 23, 2007 by Paula&Minya

[lucho562 0]

Whoaaaaaaa

They will mail me the marriage certificate???????

For sure I wont make the July 30th cutoff!!??

[payxibka 10,048]

Whoaaaaaaa

They will mail me the marriage certificate???????

For sure I wont make the July 30th cutoff!!??

That is fairly typical because it needs to be recorded and certified by the county (typically).

I was married on 07/15, the officiant sent it to the county on 07/16, and I had it in the mail by 07/20. YMMV

[lucho562 0]

So it looks like I wont make the cutoff. Should I just send the AOS package and at worst get an RFE, but sill avoid the silly price hike?

[TracyTN 237]

I'm trying to make the cutoff, too. Check with your local county clerk. They told me if we bring the marriage certificate signed by the judge, we can have a certified copy of it on the same day.

Edited July 23, 2007 by TracyTN

[Caladan 19]

We were married on 7/20. I called a few days before and asked them how to procure a marriage certificate and they told me that if we gave the request for a copy of a marriage record and the fees associated with it to the officiant and had him mail in the request with the marriage paperwork he has to fill out, they'd expedite it and 'have it out within a few hours.'

We'll see. We should get ours tomorrow.

[YuAndDan 153]

The license allows marriage, it does not prove marriage, only the certificate proves marriage.

IN NY, we applied for marriage, and were issued a license, we had to wait 24 hours, and we had the judge marry us in the local court house attached to the town clerks office that issued the license, the judge just hand delivered the executed license, and the certificate was in our mail box the day after marriage.

[athena_ny 1]

I got married at the Pinellas County courthouse in FL, and we received the certified marriage certificates at the end of the ceremony.

Our marriage license was the same piece of paper, just unsigned by the official performing the ceremony (obviously, because we hadn't married yet). Once the official signed it and it was certified by the courthouse, it became our marriage certificate.

[KarenCee 3]

Yeah, what everyone else said regarding the difference between license and certificate. We got our certified copy the same day we took it in to be recorded. Might check with your local courthouse and see if you can do the same.

[Mephys 2]

The county we got married in Michigan has the license and the Certificate on the same piece of paper. So we signed the bottom of the sheet, as well as the witnesses and the minister, under Marriage certificate, and he gave us one copy and sent the other one back to the county. We had ours in hand at the ceremony. Both copies were already certified with a raised seal from the county clerk office before we signed them.

[lucho562 0]

Thanks to all that have replied. However I have not so good news.

Just got back from the county clerk/registrar's office. We have our marriage license and are scheduled to get married tomorrow afternoon. However they will not give us a copy of the marriage certificate until 10-14 days later and thats expedited service or shipping...i forgot. Well that puts us past the July 30th price hike deadline.

What should we do?

Should I send everything in and hope for an RFE for not submitting the marriage certificate?

Has anyone forgot to send a copy of their marriage certificate? Did you get an RFE or denial?

[Longview 0]

I wonder if the "30-60-90" rule I've heard so much about will be applied to you while y'all adjust, Lucho.