Texas Free Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


The State of Texas is one of the popular states that are visited because it offers marriage to non-residents and allows common or informal marriage as well as approves marriages of underage couples with parental consent. Although the State does offer these services, they do not allow marriage for same sex couple as well as marriage between cousins or relatives. The State of Texas Bureau of Statistics provides verification for Texas marriage record but does not issue certified true copies.

In getting your marriage license, the couple has to present a valid identification card. This includes government issued ids such as passport, social security, driver's license and even a certified copy of birth certificate. If you are located out of state or country, you can also get married in Texas by applying for a "proxy marriage". This means that any adult person, whether they are the couple's family, friends or relatives can apply on the person's behalf. The proxy must include an affidavit of absent form, proof of identity of the absentee and parental consent if the absentee getting married is under the age of 18. The waiting period that one should wait to conduct the marriage ceremony is 72 hours from the time a marriage certificate is issued. There are exceptions to the waiting period one of which is that one of the couple is in active duty and the second one is when they attend a marriage seminar.

The marriage license costs $60 though in some counties, the fee is $71. Fees vary depending on the county. To determine the actual amount, one can call the county clerk office to learn the latest fee. Individuals who are about to get married can also have the marriage fee waived if they attend the seminar which lasts about 8 hour and can be taken in parts. The seminar must be completed prior to applying for a marriage license.

For underage couples, especially those that are of sixteen (16) - seventeen (17) years of age, marriage is possible; all they need to do is to obtain a parental consent form and submit this to the county clerk. Another is if one of them is divorced, they can submit a certified copy of the divorce. The engaged couples can also obtain a court order from the place where their parents reside to allow them to marry.

Informal marriages or common marriages are also common and couples can get married in Texas. The state allows the marriage to be declared as a "common law marriage" if the couple can prove that they are married by (1) filing an Informal Marriage Declaration, (2) the couple lives together and agrees that they are married and (3) they act and present themselves as a couple to other people.

The marriage license is valid for thirty days (30) and a copy for certificate of marriage is available by contacting the issuing county clerk office. Another way to obtain the marriage record is through applying online which is the most expedient way to do so.




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