If you enter into a marriage in Texas with any of the following members of your family—whether related by the whole blood, half blood, or adoption—it will be void. If you've been divorced within the last 30 days, you cannot obtain a marriage license unless you're remarrying your former spouse or a court waives the prohibition. Every county clerk's office accepts cash. After the 72 hour waiting period is up, the marriage license remains valid for 30 days. This means that you must apply for the license more than three days before your wedding in order for your marriage to be legally valid. Whoever's absent must provide the proxy a completed and notarized affidavit of absent applicant and acceptable identification. Search Birth & Death Records; Application for Birth or Death Records; Birth or Death Certificate Information start by appearing with your partner before the county clerk to get a formal application for your marriage license. Go to www.twogetherintexas.com for more information or download flyer under "Related Forms" below. If you and your intended spouse complete an 8-hour premarital education course from a trained instructor, you'll receive a certificate—valid for one year—to discount the license fee by about $60 and waive the 72-hour waiting period. Any person who knowingly solemnizes a marriage without authorization is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. You must approximate the date your marriage was established when registering. In Oklahoma, marriage licenses expire in 10 days. Receiving copies of marriage licenses in Texas is quite easy as long as you follow a few steps. After those 30 days, the license expires and can no longer be used to legalize your marriage. These steps are listed in this article, as well as information about Texas County Courts and things you may need to bring with you when requesting a copy of marriage license in Texas. A Texas declaration of informal marriage costs between $30 and $82 to register. The questions on both forms are identical. Texas district, county, probate, and justice of the peace courts. You may purchase your Marriage License in any county in Texas and get married anywhere in the State of Texas. The affidavit of absent applicant marriage license (form VS-180.1) is similar to the regular application; it asks all the same questions as well as the following: Note: Every county clerk's office provides blank absentee affidavit forms that anyone can pick up in advance. Once your application is accepted, the county clerk will issue you a marriage license that merely contains your name, date and time of issuance, and name of any appointed proxy to stand-in for you during the ceremony. Credit and debit cards may be honored at some locations, but there's usually a surcharge. You must be 18 years or older. Fallout from an unlawful solemnization will be isolated to the officiant if either party to the marriage genuinely believed the ceremony was lawfully conducted. A marriage certificate is basically a "recorded" marriage license. Texas’s marriage license process hasn’t changed much since COVID-19—they are provided by the county clerk’s office. From cost and waiting periods to age and identification requirements. After the county clerk receives your returned marriage license, it will be recorded and mailed back to the address you provided on the application. You can petition the court to remove disabilities of minority if you're a Texas resident who's 16 or 17 years old and financially self-reliant. A “Formal marriage license” A formal marriage license can be obtained from any county in Texas and the marriage can be performed anywhere. A Texas marriage license costs between $65 and $88, depending on the county. Record and archive a copy of the certificate. ©2007-2013 City Applications, LLC. Once your registration form is accepted, fees paid, and oaths administered, the county clerk will "execute" your declaration as follows: Texas does recognize common-law marriage, which is a marriage where the spouses present themselves as married without legal solemnization. green card), Employment authorization document/card (EAD), U.S. Department of State document, with photograph, Department of Homeland Security document, with photograph, Military ID card, with photograph (active duty, reserve, or retired), Birth certificate (original or certified copy), Consular report of birth abroad (issued by U.S. Department of State), Certificate of birth abroad (issued by U.S. Department of State), School records (secondary or post-secondary education), Court order for name change (original or certified copy), Court order for sex change (original or certified copy), Insurance policy (active for the past two years), Military records (e.g., discharge, selective service), Marriage license (original or certified copy), Divorce decree (original or certified copy), Pilot's license (FFA or U.S. government-issued), Temporary driver's license (issued by TxDPS), Offender ID card (issued by Texas Department of Criminal Justice), You're an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, You're an employee or contractor working for the Department of Defense, Authorized official of any religious organization, Federal court judge or magistrate of Texas. 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