is marriage license used as same as marriage certificate?

[panpan 0]

Hi, guys. my GF will be having his USC status at the end of this month. and we are getting married. but when I am filing the AOS later, can we just mail the marriage license that we receive from the county court? becasue we are thinking about having the wedding after this summer in other country, in another words, we will have the wedding after I receive my 2-years green card. So we won't get the marriage certificate from the people who hold the wedding.

any help on this?

[pushbrk 12,881]

Hi, guys. my GF will be having his USC status at the end of this month. and we are getting married. but when I am filing the AOS later, can we just mail the marriage license that we receive from the county court? becasue we are thinking about having the wedding after this summer in other country, in another words, we will have the wedding after I receive my 2-years green card. So we won't get the marriage certificate from the people who hold the wedding.

any help on this?

What you need is a marriage certificate. Sometimes the license and certificate are both part of the same document but the marriage must be completed and registered with a certificate returned indicating the marriage is on record with the State.

[panpan 0]

Ok, so how and where can I have the certificate without a wedding?

Hi, guys. my GF will be having his USC status at the end of this month. and we are getting married. but when I am filing the AOS later, can we just mail the marriage license that we receive from the county court? becasue we are thinking about having the wedding after this summer in other country, in another words, we will have the wedding after I receive my 2-years green card. So we won't get the marriage certificate from the people who hold the wedding.

any help on this?

What you need is a marriage certificate. Sometimes the license and certificate are both part of the same document but the marriage must be completed and registered with a certificate returned indicating the marriage is on record with the State.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I don't understand your situation from your explanation. You want to file for AOS based on marriage to a USC, but you don't want to get married first?

I can answer the question you asked in the title of the thread.

is marriage license used as same as marriage certificate?

In Texas, where you indicate that you live, you get a marriage license from any county clerk's office. It's a big fancy certificate looking document. It's good for 30 days. When you get married the person that performs the marriage signs on the license that he married you and puts the date and time and his title. His title could be something like "Pastor of First Baptist Church, Smalltown, TX" or "Justice of the Peace, Hidalgo County, TX". It's whatever give him legal authority to marry someone in the State of Texas.

Once the license is signed by an officiant, then it becomes the marriage certificate. Same document, but now it's certified by someone who married you. So you take it back to the county clerk and get it registered in their records. They emboss it with a county seal and give it back to you once they record it. Now it's your official marriage certificate and you should keep it not send it off. You can ask for a certified copy of your marriage certificate at the county clerks office at any time including when you go in to register it. They just make a copy of your certificate on which somebody from the county signs a statement that the copy is a true copy from the county records. And they put a county seal or stamp on the copy to show it's official.

Ok, so how and where can I have the certificate without a wedding?

Legally, you can't.

[Reba 2]

You cannot apply for AOS based on marriage if you are not legally married. The marriage license DOES NOT constitute proof of marriage, it only shows INTENT to marry. Only a marriage CERTIFICATE is a MARRRIAGE CERTIFICATE. I'm afraid you'll just have to bite the bullet and get married. A court ceremony is perfecly legal and acceptable by USCIS standards.

[JEH* 0]

0r..like what we did, i just photocopied my original marriage certificate reduced the length then include it on the packet

[pushbrk 12,881]

0r..like what we did, i just photocopied my original marriage certificate reduced the length then include it on the packet

And unless what you copied also bears a seal indicating the County Clerk recorded the marriage after it took place, this would not be sufficient.

Back to topic, people often confuse "wedding" and marriage. You must be legally married to adjust status based on marriage. "Wedding" is usually used to describe a "ceremony" of some sort but being legally married can be as simple as a couple legal questions and some signatures on the correct documents that are subsequently properly recorded by a clerk.

[Eric-Pris 1,606]

Hi, guys. my GF will be having his USC status at the end of this month. and we are getting married. but when I am filing the AOS later, can we just mail the marriage license that we receive from the county court? becasue we are thinking about having the wedding after this summer in other country, in another words, we will have the wedding after I receive my 2-years green card. So we won't get the marriage certificate from the people who hold the wedding.

any help on this?

To have your AOS approved, you must submit a marriage CERTIFICATE. A marriage LICENSE is worthless, anybody can get one by going to a county courthouse with ID and paying $30. After your marriage, you will get a marriage certificate. You can still have a wedding ceremony and reception later whenever and wherever you want, but you must get legally married in the US before you can apply for AOS.

[TBoneTX 45,284]

In Texas, where you indicate that you live,[...]

This information is all accurate. My fiancee and I got married (also in Texas) on Oct. 31 by a Justice of the Peace, got his permission to take the signed paperwork directly to the county courthouse, registered the marriage, and bought 7 (that's SEVEN) true embossed copies at $7 apiece for our future use.

These extra copies came in handy: One for our bank, to add the wife to the account; one to take to the Social Security office; two for AOS/EAD/AP filing; one for the wife to keep with her at all times, in case she's stopped and questioned; one for my mother, as a souvenir... you perhaps get the picture.

Then, on Dec. 7, we had the actual wedding "ceremony" (party), which the wife enjoyed greatly -- white wedding gown, etc.

Married on Hallowe'en, party held on Pearl Harbor Day... uh...

Edited January 7, 2009 by TBoneTX

[panpan 0]

Ok, thanks. Let me get this whole process straight.

1. go to courthouse to get marriage license.

2. get married by a justice of the peace and let him sign the license and all paperwork.

3. bring the signed license and paperwork back to courthouse, get registered and ask for copies.

4. file AOS, do whatever you do with the marriage certificate

5. select the wedding day and place.

But I thought by getting married with a justice of peace is also called civil wedding ceremony?????

In Texas, where you indicate that you live,[...]

This information is all accurate. My fiancee and I got married (also in Texas) on Oct. 31 by a Justice of the Peace, got his permission to take the signed paperwork directly to the county courthouse, registered the marriage, and bought 7 (that's SEVEN) true embossed copies at $7 apiece for our future use.

These extra copies came in handy: One for our bank, to add the wife to the account; one to take to the Social Security office; two for AOS/EAD/AP filing; one for the wife to keep with her at all times, in case she's stopped and questioned; one for my mother, as a souvenir... you perhaps get the picture.

Then, on Dec. 7, we had the actual wedding "ceremony" (party), which the wife enjoyed greatly -- white wedding gown, etc.

Married on Hallowe'en, party held on Pearl Harbor Day... uh...

[Alxmrt 0]

it is a civil wedding ceremony my wife and i did the same thing in August we had a civil ceremony (a minister in his own home did it for us) and we went back got our certificate and several copies and filed for AOS. Now we are in the process of planning a ceremonial wedding in Scotland end of this year for everyone to have a party and for my wife to get the White dress and all the trimmings.

[KIMCORENE 0]

A lot of people have a "civil wedding" which is just gettig married at the county courthouse in order to be LEGALLY MARRIED for AOS. After, they have a WEDDING CEREMONY, which is simply celebrating your vows and including family, friends, etc- the traditional wedding, in this case, comparable to a renewal of vows ceremony, because you would already be married. The later ceremony does not negate the earlier, but you have to be legally wed first, regardless of the type of ceremony you have.

[pushbrk 12,881]

A lot of people have a "civil wedding" which is just gettig married at the county courthouse in order to be LEGALLY MARRIED for AOS. After, they have a WEDDING CEREMONY, which is simply celebrating your vows and including family, friends, etc- the traditional wedding, in this case, comparable to a renewal of vows ceremony, because you would already be married. The later ceremony does not negate the earlier, but you have to be legally wed first, regardless of the type of ceremony you have.

You must be married to file AOS. Married is Married. If you want a ceremony of any kind later, anyplace you want, that's your choice but you will already be "married".

Again, don't confuse the words "marriage" and "wedding". Sometimes they are one in the same. Some people are "married" without a "wedding" and some have the "marriage" first and "wedding" later. Some even have the "wedding" first and the "marriage" later.