Marriage license laws to change

Beginning August 29, couples in Alabama will follow a different path to become legally married.

Marengo County Probate Judge Laurie Hall said the Alabama legislature changed the procedure during the 2019 legislative session. The law creates new documents and proceedings necessary for a marriage to be valid.     

The changes actually make becoming married easier, said Hall, as there are fewer steps involved with the new law. 

Current licenses issued for marriage are valid through August 28. If a couple plans to get married August 29 or later, they will need to comply with the new law and procedure.

“Currently a couple must come into the Probate Office with proof of identification and other paperwork to obtain a license within 30 days before their wedding date. After obtaining the license, they must have a ceremony and are required to remit signed paperwork back to the Probate Office within 30 days after the wedding.”

The new law changes all that. It removes the need for a license to be obtained in advance, she said.

“Additionally, while couples certainly may have a ceremony if they wish, a ceremony will no longer be required.”

When the law takes effect a couple desiring to marry simply have to do the following: 

• Complete the form provided by the State of Alabama
• Take the form to a notary to sign and have notarized
• Deliver the form to the Probate Office for recording, along with the filing fee, within 30 days of the signatures

The form must be notarized before bringing it in for filing, and it must be filed in the Probate Office within 30 days of being signed. The fee remains at $75. 

Other requirements surrounding marriage, such as being of minimum age and not currently being married, have not changed, Hall continued. The information requested on the affidavit is essentially the same as what couples previously had to provide, which is basic information about each spouse.

The Probate Office must receive and file the original form, but the Marengo County office will provide a certified copy to the couple for their personal records. The effective date of the marriage is the latter of the dates of the signatures of the spouses.

The required form and instructions will be available online through the Department of Public Health, and there will be a link to that site from the Marengo County webpage, which is <marengocountyal.com.>

Judge Hall said she also plans to make the form available through a computer in the Courthouse for those who do not have access to the internet otherwise.