How To Get A California Marriage License
Is a California marriage license worth the paper it's printed on? It is, if you know how to go about one legally. Unfortunately, because of strict immigration laws and health insurance rules, it's getting more and more important to be sure your marriage is done in the eyes of the law as well as in the eyes of whatever God you worship. There have been scams in the past involving false California marriage licenses, but you can avoid one with common sense and following the advice in this article.
You Don't Have To Live In California
You don't have to live or work or plan on moving to California in order to get married in California. You can plan your wedding as part of a vacation to California, if you so choose. However, you just can't waltz in to a County Clerk's office and get married. You need to apply for a California marriage license up to 90 days before the actual wedding date.
There is such a thing as marriage by proxy in other parts of the world, but not in California. Both parties need to show up to the ceremony in order for the marriage to be declared legal in the eyes of the law. And, despite California supporting a large gay community, only heterosexual marriages are allowed.
There's An Expiration Date
You have to have a California marriage license before you can be legally married. This piece of paper is NOT the same thing as a marriage certificate. A California marriage license still gives you the option of breaking of the ceremony. A California marriage certificate has declared that the ceremony has happened and you're stuck with whoever you married.
You have a mere 90 days after getting a California marriage license in order to get married. At day 91, like a warranty for a small appliance, it expires and you have to get another California marriage license. Since fees change at a California politician's whim, it is better to check with the Department of Health Services for the state of California web page.
Also, blood tests are no longer required in order to get a California marriage license. You do have to give the marriage license to whoever does the official wedding ceremony for them to fill out and return to the County Clerk for official recording into the county's marriage registration Book. You can't get a copy of this unless you pay a fee.
