getting a marriage license & the need for a SSN in PA

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

so, ive read the vital role of the marriage license and i just found out that Pennsylania needs a driver's license and SSN to get a marriage license so there goes our PA wedding with his friends and family; my fiance will go meet me in the US during his leave as a military personnel and he doesnt have a lot of leave days saved up; prolly will only have less than a month's worth of leave days when i get the K-1 visa. 

ive read about the SSN and how i can apply for it at least 2 wks after my POE since by then it will show in the system; then i would most probably wait for the card 2 wks later; so yes, that will sum up to about 4 wks and my fiance wont even have that much leave days!  

so i looked at other states that wont require a SSN to get a marriage license; looked up virginia, california, and yes, even nevada (we were curious about las vegas too u know ) but then to my dismay it was stated there

"You'll typically need to apply for your marriage license at least one month before your wedding ceremony." 

does it really have to be at least a month?

and when i scrolled down, it said:

" Application Requirement: Both the bride and groom must appear in person at the time of applying." 

well i would obviously apply it with him, but if we would wait a month til we get married, that's just way way way tooo long! he doesnt even have enough time to do that 

we have been planning to maybe have a church wedding at PA and at most in 2-3 days after our arrival; coz we want to apply for the AOS asap and get an AP asap so i can fly to Okinawa and be with my future hubby

so not only is our church wedding plan put on hold but im not even sure about the marriage license, and if we can have enough time to get married the entire time he's on his leave...

P.S.

im just doing my research whilst waiting for the NOA2 coz we dont have all the time in the world when we see each other in the states, so it's better to be prepared (especially for worst case scenarios)

so any ideas and suggestions would be a really BIG help Thanks! much love

The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that states CANNOT require a SSN number to obtain a marriage license. They can ask for the number but cannot require it as marriage has nothing to do with immigration status or legal stauts in the US. Also, given the popularity of the Pocono Mountains as a destination place for marriages/honeymoons, I find it hard to believe that Pennsylvania is denying New Jersey residents the opportunity to get married in PA. Or any other state residents wishing to marry there. I think you should check your information with someone more specifically. Some states have a waiting period of 3 days after issuance of the license. Our state, Vermont, does not and it would be possible to leave the airport, get a marriage license and be married within 30 minutes of flight arrival.

Also, what is the rush? You have 90 days to get married.

ok, i'll keep that in mind too; but how can i know my SSN if i dont have the card yet; will that be possible? we wanna get married as soon as we land actually lol because he would only have less than a  month's worth of leave days; and the sooner we get married the sooner we apply for the AOS, the sooner we can get the AP; ergo, the sooner i can go be with him in Okinawa (he's US military) then get a SOFA status so i can stay there for however long then just fly back to USA for the AOS interview w/or  without him if he can have at least a week's worth of leave days by the time we have the interview;

we honestly wish we can have the SSN maybe a week before he flies back to Okinawa coz then he can enroll me to DEERS/tri-care, EFMP all that stuff and then get the orders for me to accompany him in japan, then most possibly file for an infopass to get an AP;coz i found out even if id have the military ID and the military orders i NEED an AP before leaving the country;

so that's all the plan and we'll just have to wait and see if God wills it 

im even gonna start gathering the forms and all other stuff we can use for the AOS so come time we get to the states,we can have all the necessary files.

if we can just get married here in the philippines then forget about the K-1,file for K-3 or CR-1 we would but i need an SSN to get me enrolled in all that stuff; thus not having the SSN i wont get a SOFA status and stay with him Okinawa; and K-3 or CR-1 might take longer..we cant wait that much longer anymore lol.. we want to be together again soon

Then for the SSN question on the marriage license application you answer "none". It cannot be required in order to receive a marriage license.

Also, since you are K-1 there is no need to wait for an SSN. You can file for the SSN the day after you arrive. You can then go to the SS office the next day (after you apply) and receive the NUMBER. The card will come in about a week. My wife applied for her SSN 16 hours after arriving and had the card in 6 days, the number the next business day. We were married 8 days after she arrived and her SSN is listed on our marriage license, she had her card 2 days before that.

Apply for the card in your MAIDEN name, exactly as it is in your passport. Change the name with SS after you get your green card. You DO NOT have to be married to get the SSN. In fact, I recommend you apply for it before you unpack your suitcase. BEFORE we were married, my wife had her SS card and had been added to our bank accounts, insurance policies, utilities, and had started classes at a local university.

[newlyweds 0]

so, ive read the vital role of the marriage license and i just found out that Pennsylania needs a driver's license and SSN to get a marriage license so there goes our PA wedding with his friends and family; my fiance will go meet me in the US during his leave as a military personnel and he doesnt have a lot of leave days saved up; prolly will only have less than a month's worth of leave days when i get the K-1 visa. 

ive read about the SSN and how i can apply for it at least 2 wks after my POE since by then it will show in the system; then i would most probably wait for the card 2 wks later; so yes, that will sum up to about 4 wks and my fiance wont even have that much leave days!  

so i looked at other states that wont require a SSN to get a marriage license; looked up virginia, california, and yes, even nevada (we were curious about las vegas too u know ) but then to my dismay it was stated there

"You'll typically need to apply for your marriage license at least one month before your wedding ceremony." 

does it really have to be at least a month?

and when i scrolled down, it said:

" Application Requirement: Both the bride and groom must appear in person at the time of applying." 

well i would obviously apply it with him, but if we would wait a month til we get married, that's just way way way tooo long! he doesnt even have enough time to do that 

we have been planning to maybe have a church wedding at PA and at most in 2-3 days after our arrival; coz we want to apply for the AOS asap and get an AP asap so i can fly to Okinawa and be with my future hubby

so not only is our church wedding plan put on hold but im not even sure about the marriage license, and if we can have enough time to get married the entire time he's on his leave...

P.S.

im just doing my research whilst waiting for the NOA2 coz we dont have all the time in the world when we see each other in the states, so it's better to be prepared (especially for worst case scenarios)

so any ideas and suggestions would be a really BIG help Thanks! much love

The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that states CANNOT require a SSN number to obtain a marriage license. They can ask for the number but cannot require it as marriage has nothing to do with immigration status or legal stauts in the US. Also, given the popularity of the Pocono Mountains as a destination place for marriages/honeymoons, I find it hard to believe that Pennsylvania is denying New Jersey residents the opportunity to get married in PA. Or any other state residents wishing to marry there. I think you should check your information with someone more specifically. Some states have a waiting period of 3 days after issuance of the license. Our state, Vermont, does not and it would be possible to leave the airport, get a marriage license and be married within 30 minutes of flight arrival.

Also, what is the rush? You have 90 days to get married.

ok, i'll keep that in mind too; but how can i know my SSN if i dont have the card yet; will that be possible? we wanna get married as soon as we land actually lol because he would only have less than a  month's worth of leave days; and the sooner we get married the sooner we apply for the AOS, the sooner we can get the AP; ergo, the sooner i can go be with him in Okinawa (he's US military) then get a SOFA status so i can stay there for however long then just fly back to USA for the AOS interview w/or  without him if he can have at least a week's worth of leave days by the time we have the interview;

we honestly wish we can have the SSN maybe a week before he flies back to Okinawa coz then he can enroll me to DEERS/tri-care, EFMP all that stuff and then get the orders for me to accompany him in japan, then most possibly file for an infopass to get an AP;coz i found out even if id have the military ID and the military orders i NEED an AP before leaving the country;

so that's all the plan and we'll just have to wait and see if God wills it 

im even gonna start gathering the forms and all other stuff we can use for the AOS so come time we get to the states,we can have all the necessary files.

if we can just get married here in the philippines then forget about the K-1,file for K-3 or CR-1 we would but i need an SSN to get me enrolled in all that stuff; thus not having the SSN i wont get a SOFA status and stay with him Okinawa; and K-3 or CR-1 might take longer..we cant wait that much longer anymore lol.. we want to be together again soon

Then for the SSN question on the marriage license application you answer "none". It cannot be required in order to receive a marriage license.

Also, since you are K-1 there is no need to wait for an SSN. You can file for the SSN the day after you arrive. You can then go to the SS office the next day (after you apply) and receive the NUMBER. The card will come in about a week. My wife applied for her SSN 16 hours after arriving and had the card in 6 days, the number the next business day. We were married 8 days after she arrived and her SSN is listed on our marriage license, she had her card 2 days before that.

Apply for the card in your MAIDEN name, exactly as it is in your passport. Change the name with SS after you get your green card. You DO NOT have to be married to get the SSN. In fact, I recommend you apply for it before you unpack your suitcase. BEFORE we were married, my wife had her SS card and had been added to our bank accounts, insurance policies, utilities, and had started classes at a local university.

ok. looks like we can have a good run on all these planning then if we can have the number sooner than what i thought   

and yes, i have what you posted to my boo and he's quite happy about it too, so thanks

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

This is a remotely related subject, but worth throwing out there for people to consider, especially if your fiance/e is from an Oriental Asian country...

In many cultures (especially east Asia) it is customary for the wife to keep her maiden name after marriage. She does not take the family name of her husband at marriage, though the children get the father's family name. In most states that I'm aware of, a wife is not required to take her husband's family name at the time of marriage. If it's not a big deal for you whether your new wife has your family name, and if it's culturally appropriate in her home country, then you might consider suggesting she keep her maiden name after marriage. This can alleviate some problems with her family back home (who might need some time to adjust to her new name), and can save you some headaches with things like conflicting names on the passport and green card.

Just a thought...

[rebeccajo 14]

And just another thought.......

Never rely on the websites of courthouses and county clerks to give you ALL the details about anything - getting a marriage license; getting copies of documents; etc.

Use the phone number listed on the website. Pick up the phone and speak to a clerk. It's not hard.

[flutter95 4]

And just another thought.......

Never rely on the websites of courthouses and county clerks to give you ALL the details about anything - getting a marriage license; getting copies of documents; etc.

Use the phone number listed on the website. Pick up the phone and speak to a clerk. It's not hard.

Definitely agree.

We got married in PA aswell two and a half years ago, the license took 3 days and we both had to be there for it and I did not get my SSN until AFTER we were married and they just took all the info from my passport. After the marriage we took the license stuff back ourself instead of letting the pastor do it so I could get certified copies back quicker which they charged me for. Easy

[AaronLV 12]

so i looked at other states that wont require a SSN to get a marriage license; looked up virginia, california, and yes, even nevada (we were curious about las vegas too u know blush.gif ) but then to my dismay it was stated there

In Las Vegas, Bring in your Passports, pay the 50 bucks, given the license, walk across the street to the civil marriages, pay 55 bucks, and then order your certified certificate a few days later from the records office.

http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/cle...nformation.aspx

[newlyweds 0]

And just another thought.......

Never rely on the websites of courthouses and county clerks to give you ALL the details about anything - getting a marriage license; getting copies of documents; etc.

Use the phone number listed on the website. Pick up the phone and speak to a clerk. It's not hard.

yeah will still call 'em i already have the number so that will help out too

when i was reading on the site that people should apply for the marriage license at least a month, i thought it was just way too much luckily, people on here can help clear things up 

[spartan 2]

And just another thought.......

Never rely on the websites of courthouses and county clerks to give you ALL the details about anything - getting a marriage license; getting copies of documents; etc.

Use the phone number listed on the website. Pick up the phone and speak to a clerk. It's not hard.

yeah will still call 'em i already have the number so that will help out too

when i was reading on the site that people should apply for the marriage license at least a month, i thought it was just way too much luckily, people on here can help clear things up 

They are right every state is different cuz in my case it only took one hour i think. I arrived in hawaii and my fiance (hubby now) met me there in the morning of dec. 8, 2009 at 11 am we went to DOH, told the officer at DOH that we want to get a marriage license. They ask my passport and fiance's driver's license and they gave us forms to fill up. after that we paid and then they gave us the marriage license and the next day we got married. Stayed 6 nights for honeymoon then fly to california. I hope every state is like the hawaiian doh, just wondering why they don't have uniform process or procedure in getting marriage license.

[JillA 2]

I got married in PA, they ask you for a SSN but I told them I didn't have one, no biggie. She just left it blank, they CANNOT deny you a marriage license in PA with no SSN

[Old Dominion 26]

Not so many clergy will marry someone in their church without some preparation. Better look into that, as well.