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Local
Marriage Laws &License Information ...
NEW
GEORGIA LAW AFFECTIVE JULY 2005
AFFECTS MARRIAGE LICENSE LAWS AND FEES ...
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PROBATE COURT FOR DETAILS
-- Updates Coming Soon --
In order to be legally married in the state of Georgia, you
need to have a marriage license. The marriage
license has no specified time frame for use and does not
expire, though it is
recommended
to apply for your marriage license one month
prior to the date of your wedding. Licenses issued in
Georgia can only
be used within the State of Georgia. If you are
planning on getting married in another state, you
will have to obtain a license in that state and county where
the wedding will take place.
You will have to apply
for your marriage license during normal business
hours so you may have to take some time off work.
Both you and your fiancé will need to go together
and apply in person. You cannot get a marriage
license with only one of you there. Applicants
will have to fill out a short form and answer some
basic questions. The whole process of applying
and obtaining your marriage license may take 20-30
minutes, plus time waiting in line, so be prepared
and give yourself plenty of time.
- Basic Requirements:
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- Effective
July 1, 2003 a premarital blood test is no longer required -
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What to
bring:
You will need to bring a valid drivers
license or state issued picture ID with you for
identification. If you do not have this, some counties
may accept a certified copy of your birth certificate or a
passport as identification. If either of you
have ever been married before, you will need to bring a
certified copy of the final divorce decree/order or death
certificate to prove the previous marriage has been
dissolved.
Residency: If
either the bride or groom is a Georgia resident, the marriage
license may be issued in any county of the state and the
couple may be married in any county of the state.
However, if neither
of you are Georgia residents, you must apply in the county
where you are getting married.
Fees: A
marriage license will cost you approximately $26.00 - $35.00
depending on the county.
Most counties will only accept cash for payment and will not
take any bills larger than a twenty. This fee includes
the tri-carbon that you will get that day, and only
(1) one certified copy, suitable for framing, that
will be mailed to you. Additional certified
copies can be purchased at any time in the future
for an additional fee, usually around $5.00 per
copy.
Age:
In most cases,
both the bride and groom must be at least 18 years old.
Although some counties will grant a marriage license to
slightly younger couples if you have both parents written consent.
(in such a case, the parents must be present when applying for
the license) In
some cases,
if the bride is pregnant, no parental consent is required
but you will have to submit a signed written statement from a licensed
physician certifying the pregnancy.
The state will contact the Dr. and usually notify the parents
as well.
(please contact your local probate court for more details)
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- Other Info You May
Need To Know:
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- You will need to know the city and state where you
were born, your social security number, the address where
the two of you will reside after the wedding, and some
counties may also ask for your mother and father's
birth names and the city and state of their birth. You
will be asked if either of you will be changing your
name after the wedding so you will want to have that
figured out. You
may also be asked for the name of the officiate that will
perform the ceremony.
In some counties you may be required to have a witness sign the application
along with you, (someone unrelated to you either of you).
Contact your local probate court to be
sure of your county's specific requirements. (See
Links Below)
Once you receive your license,
it has to se signed by a justice of
the peace or an ordained religious
clergy member. You can
ask the court clerk for a list of
who may legally perform marriage ceremonies. On your wedding
day, give the tri-carbon copy of the marriage license to your officiate.
Then after
the ceremony, he or she will need to sign it and send it in for validation. This
should be done within 30 days of the wedding. Be sure
to keep a copy of the tri-carbon for your own
records. Then you
will receive a certified copy in the mail about a week after
the county gets it.
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- Side note: This certified copy is the one
you will need to present to the DMV and
the Social Security office
and such to change your name
after the wedding.-
- Keep in mind
that many counties have a cut off time when they stop
accepting applications for marriage licenses.
So you should contact
your local county probate court to be
sure of the
times and confirm
any other pertinent details.
We have gathered below the contact information for some
local area probate court
offices and links to there respective websites
(where
applicable):
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