Can you get married in California without a marriage license?

Answer 1

Not legally. All states require a license. It is actually illegal for anyone that CAN legally marry people to do so without a license. "Marriage" is a legal word and is contractual in the eyes of the government. Another view... Lawful, however is a different word with a different meaning. Because God's law's are over man's laws and He first ordained marriage, you do not need to have a marriage license in order to be married. There are many Godly preachers who will marry a couple without a license. Marriage is a covenant between you and God. There is also the matter of the definition of the word "license." It is "something given to you by a competent authority which allows you to do something which would otherwise be unlawful." Marriage is not unlawful and therefore does not require a license. In addition, a license gives the state jurisdiction over your marriage and the fruits thereof -- your children. Many cite this alone as reason for not obtaining a marriage license.
In many states it is illegal to conduct a marriage ceremony without a valid license. Without the license the marriage is not official. *If the couple wishing to marry reside in a state that allows common law marriage, a license is not required, nor is a formal service as long as they adhere to the established legal procedures required for the recognition of such a union.

Answer 2

You obtain the marriage license at the U.S. embassy. If you want to marry overseas, you need to find out what the country in question requires. E.g. my country required that my husband brings his original birth certificate (not a copy), a divorce decree, a passport, and the marriage license issued by the embassy. The U.S. embassy requires that you present all divorce decrees, not just the latest. My husband actually had a problem because he had not brought his first divorce decree, so we married the next time he visited me. I was in the United States eight weeks after the wedding.

Answer 3

There are ten states that still recognize a 'common-law marriage.' That means the couple have been living together for xxx number of years as husband and wife. The exact length requirements vary from state to state. Once the marriage has been officially recognized, usually through a court order, all rights and responsibilities are in place.

Alabama

Colorado

District of Columbia

Georgia (Prior to 1/1/97)

Idaho (Prior to 1/1/96)

Iowa

Kansas

Montana

New Hampshire (for inheritance only)

Ohio (Prior to 10/10/91)

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania (Prior to 1/1/05)

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Texas

Utah

Answer 4

Why should we need the State's permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State's permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition "confers a right" to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right. Only in the eyes of GOD that marriage don't have contract.

Answer 5

No. To "get married" typically means to become legally bound to another person in a valid marriage. A marriage license is required in every state in the United States. The marriage license must be turned over to the official who performs the ceremony and it will be signed and returned to the office that issued it. That office will enter the marriage into the vital public records of that state.

Answer 6

In many states it is illegal to conduct a marriage ceremony without a valid license. Without the license the marriage is not official. *If the couple wishing to marry reside in a state that allows common law marriage, a license is not required, nor is a formal service as long as they adhere to the established legal procedures required for the recognition of such a union.

Answer 7

you must have a marriage licence to get married in Florida

Answer 8

No. California does not recognize common law marriages.

Answer 9

Only "in the eyes of God". Marriage is a legal contract which requires a licence.