How to get marriage license in howard county md

Judges, clerks, and deputies don't be paid directly for performing ceremonies. They can't pocket a portion of the money, nor accept gifts or tips for solemnizing. If such a violation were committed by a clerk or deputy clerk there it would not result in a misdemeanor charge or paltry fine; the penalty would be far more catastrophic: removal from office.

Now that solemnization and civil ceremonies have been covered, it's time to discuss a vital part of every marriage ceremony civil or religious : the marriage certificate.

Where the marriage license gives you permission to marry, the marriage certificate proves that you are married. The certificate is necessary if you plan to change your name after marriage. As you may recall, when you apply for a marriage license you'll receive a license and certificates as a bundle.

Two out of the four certificates is for a typical marriage conducted by an officiant. The other two certificates are meant for a Society of Friends Quaker marriage. Both certificates must be filled out by whoever solemnizes your marriage once the ceremony has concluded.

One certificate will be given to you, the other must be returned to the clerk who issued the license and certificates no later than five days following the ceremony. If you're having a Society of Friends marriage, you and your spouse must fill out and sign both certificates and have it attested to by two overseers to the ceremony.

You can keep one certificate, but the other certificate must be sent back to the clerk that issued the license and certificates within five days after the ceremony. The law doesn't say what happens to the marriage license once you're married.

The clerk doesn't need it back. That information has already been logged by the clerk. You can keep the license or throw it away. If you need certified copies of your marriage certificate, you can order them from the circuit court that issued you your license. Recording your marriage ceremony is the final step in the marriage license journey. Once your ceremony is over, one of the marriage certificates must be returned to the clerk for recording. A recorded marriage certificate proves to the state that you are married.

Failure to record will result in your official marital status being in a state of limbo. Non-recording also makes it impossible to later order certified copies of your marriage certificate. If the clerk doesn't receive your marriage certificate by the time your marriage license expires, they will assume that you were married but there was a failure to deliver your certificate. Perhaps someone forgot to mail your certificate back to the clerk; perhaps your officiant died before it could be dispatched; perhaps it got lost in the mail or shredded in the mail sorter; or perhaps you called off the marriage.

Whatever the reason, the clerk assumes the worst and must by law investigate what happened in order to make sure all valid marriages are accounted for by the state. As detailed in the expiration and follow-up the clerk will try to contact you to determine if your marriage took place so that it can be properly recorded by the state. In Maryland, you can optionally change your name after marriage without having to court to court.

You can take your spouse's name, replace your middle name with your maiden or birth name, or you can hyphenate surnames. Department of state for your passport. Maryland's marriage license procedures are certainly more complicated than most other states.

You have to apply where you'll marry and there are different forms depending on where you live. With any luck, this documented has sufficiently equipped you to tackle the marriage application process with grace and finesse. If you know where you need to go next, head on over to the county list to get locations, county-specific fees, and other office details, such as phone numbers, office hours, and acceptable payment methods.

Best of luck to you and your future married life. Applying In Maryland, marriage licenses are issued at the circuit court by the clerk of the circuit court during regular business hours. Frequent terms Throughout this document, the term clerk will be used as shorthand to refer to the clerk of the circuit court of a county. Where to apply? Only one applicant required Although both you and your prospective spouse may show up to the circuit court to fill out the application together, state law only requires one of you to be there, in person.

Documents you'll receive If your marriage license application is accepted and approved by the clerk, you'll be issued a bundle of five documents: One marriage license Two regular marriage certificates Two Society of Friends marriage certificates The marriage license makes it legally permissible for you to marry. Residency requirements In Maryland, residency does not determine where you must apply ; it only determines which application the clerk will require you to fill out when you get there.

The next question is, do you live there Neither are county residents If neither of you live in the county where you're applying, then you must fill out a non-resident application affidavit. One or both are county residents If one or both of you is a resident of the county that you're applying in, then you'll be required to fill out a regular resident application. The application The marriage license application is a single form that serves both applicants.

Application vs. Form fields Following are the application form fields you'll be expected to answer: Full name This is your full, current, legal name, including any suffix e. Place of residence Your place of residence determines if you'll be required to fill out a regular application for county yes county residents or a non-resident application for non-county residents.

Age You'll be asked for your age, not date of birth. Marital status You'll be asked if you're single, divorced, or widowed. Blood related?

Social security number If you have a social security number, it may be used to determine if you're delinquent in child support payments. Phone number Your phone number is solicited in case the clerk ever needs to contact you about a problem related to your application, license, or certificate. Signature Only one of you is required to sign, as only one of you is required to apply for the marriage license. Delivery instructions The application will ask you how you'd like your marriage license delivered: held in reserve for you to pick up, or mailed to an address you designate.

Third-party pickup It's possible for you to assign a third-party to pick up your license. Potential delivery problems If you or your prospective spouse is younger than 18 years old , some circuit courts may be unwilling to mail out a license.

Non-resident application affidavit If neither you nor your prospective spouse is a resident of the county where you're applying in, you must use a non-resident marriage license application affidavit NRMLA instead of the regular application.

Get the circuit court address If you don't already know which circuit court you must mail your application to, consult the list of counties at the bottom of the page. Gather fees You must include payment with your mailed in application or else it won't be processed. Complete the consent form If you're an underage applicant, make the sure the parental consent form is filled out, notarized, and attached to your application.

Execute the application You'll have to find an official in your state, province, or country that's equivalent to a Maryland circuit court clerk to execute the application.

Equivalent officials Examples of "equivalent officials" is anyone who's tasked with issuing marriage licenses, such as county clerks, recorder of deeds, or court clerks. A notary public does not quality as an equivalent official. Equivalent official's role The equivalent official must witness you sign the application, so don't sign it until you're in their presence.

Once this is done, your application has been successfully executed. Mail the application Bundle your application, payment, and consent form if applicable. Turnaround time It's a good idea to get your paperwork mailed out a few weeks before your marriage takes place. Identification Identification is solicited to confirm the age you claim to be on your application. Why fees vary? Course discount fee If you're interesting in saving some money off your license fee, you can take a state-recognized premarital preparation course.

Waiting periods You may receive your marriage license the same day you apply for it; however, you cannot use your license until two days after it's been issued. Effective date The effective date of your issued license is the date and time that it becomes usable. Effective date waiver If the two day effective date is unacceptable for your situation, you can seek a waiver from a judge of the circuit court.

In order to get a waiver either of you must be: a Maryland resident; or a member of the U. Armed Forces Meeting one of these two requirements is a precondition for getting a waiver. Expiration Your marriage license will expire 6 months after the day it becomes effective. Clerk follow-up If the six month expiration goes by and the clerk has not received your completed marriage certificate, they will attempt to follow-up to determine if you did get married and who presided over your marriage.

Underage marriage If you're 18 years old or older, then you don't need anyone's consent to marry. Pregnant or given birth If you're pregnant or have given birth to a child living or dead , then parental consent to marry is not required. Obtaining consent Consent of a parent or guardian can be given in person or in writing. In person consent Consent can be given in person before the clerk.

Written consent If consent is to be given in writing, grab a blank consent form the circuit court where the application is to be made. Premarital preparation course If you're willing to enroll in a premarital preparation course taught by a registered course provider, you may be eligible to receive a discount off your marriage license fee.

Lessons Course providers are required to cover the following topics in their lesson plan: Conflict management Improving communication skills Financial responsibilities Parenting and children The entire course must last a minimum of four hours. Providers If someone wants to teach a course, they must be registered with the clerk in the county where they plan to teach; registration weeds out yahoos and fakers.

Approved professionals The state will only permit certain types of professionals to participate in the course program: Licensed clinical professional counselor Licensed marriage and family therapist Licensed social worker Official designee of a religious institution who's trained in the subject matter Any qualified individual approved by the county's governing body Credentials Course providers must prove their bona fides to the satisfaction of the clerk.

Locating providers The clerk may maintain a list of registered course providers for you to choose from. Course fees If your course provider charges a fee, you'll be responsible for paying it.

Certificate of completion Once you and your prospective spouse finish the course, your provider will issue you one certificate of completion. Certificate expiration Once you successfully complete a premarital preparation course, you must use your certificate of completion within a year in order to receive any potential discount off the license fee.

Prohibited marriages Tier one In Maryland, you cannot marry any of the following family members: Child Sibling Parent Grandparent Grandchild Stepparents are considered to be in a slightly different class, which is why it's excluded from this list and included in the upcoming second tier. Tier one penalty If such a prohibited marriage were to take place it would be void. Tier two Going further, you cannot marry the remaining type of family members: Aunt Uncle Niece Nephew Stepparent Even though the illegality of bigamy should preclude the following marriage types, state law has saw fit to make mention of the following additional prohibited marriage types: Child's spouse Grandchild's spouse Grandparent's spouse Spouse's child Spouse's parent Spouse's grandparent Spouse's grandchild Of course, if you're single, you can marry any of the immediate above persons, as long as they're unmarried too.

What about cousins? Blood tests You don't have to get a blood test in order to get a marriage license. Family planning material Although blood tests aren't performed, the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene DHMH does require clerks provide you information about birth control.

Solemnization Solemnization means presiding over a marriage, solemnizing a marriage, or the officiating of a marriage.

Authorized officials The person who performs solemnization is often called the officiant. Judges The following types of judges can solemnize: circuit court, district court, appeals court, court of special appeals, federal district court, federal court of appeals, and federal tax court.

Clerks The clerk of the circuit court can solemnize, which is the person you'll likely face if you opt to apply for your license in person. Religious officials Any person who's been designated as an authorized official by any religious organization can solemnize. Self-solemnization Self-solemnization, which is when a couple forgoes the use of an officiant and solemnizes their marriage themselves, is not allowed in Maryland.

Solemnization violations Whoever solemnizes your marriage must follow certain state laws, lest they be held criminally liable and subject to a financial penalty.

Nonexistent or expired license Any official worth their salt knows that a marriage cannot be performed if there is no license or the license is expired. Civil ceremony A civil ceremony is a non-religious marriage ceremony conducted by an authorized judge or clerk. Grifting and punishment Judges, clerks, and deputies don't be paid directly for performing ceremonies.

Maryland marriage license fees vary from county to county. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead. Getting a marriage license with your new name on it does not mean your name has automatically changed.

If you need to change your last name, you can use an online marriage name change kit. The individual has the consent of a parent or guardian and the parent makes oath that the individual is at least 16 years old or:.

If the individual does not have the consent of a parent or guardian, either party to be married gives the clerk a certificate from a licensed physician stating that the physician has examined the woman to be married and has found that she is pregnant or has given birth to a child. Either party to be married gives the clerk a certificate from a licensed physician stating that the physician has examined the woman to be married and has found that she is pregnant or has given birth to a child.

Box Baltimore, MD Ph: Or you may make your appointment the day you come in to apply for your marriage license. You are welcome to have guests attend, if you wish. Mary's County, MD. Marriage Licenses. Obtaining a Marriage License Application can be made at the office of the Clerk of Circuit Court, during regular office hours, Monday thru Friday, am to pm.

The application must be obtained in the county where the marriage is to be performed. The Application Will be Taken Under Oath and Will Include the Following Information Full name of each party Place of residence of each party Age of each party Whether the parties are related by blood or marriage and, if so, in which degree of relationship The Social Security number of each party who has a Social Security number The marital status of each party; and whether either party was married previously, and the date and place of EACH death or judicial determination that ended any former marriage Bring divorce decrees, death certificate or court orders for ALL previous marriages The applicant s must sign the application.