A Photocopy of Marriage License for AOS

[JR&CT 0]

Hi there! Hoping to file my AOS as soon as possible might be this week or early next week, but i just want to make sure if a photocopy of marriage license acceptable as certified true copy? I have with me the original but i just included a photocopy of it in the packet. Before we get married we got the marriage license at probate court with both our names written and birthdates except for the date and place of marriage and pastor's name which are blank. Right after our wedding or after the short ceremony at the church, the pastor signed his name and filled out the date and place of marriage.Should i go back to the place where we got the marriage license and ask for a certified copy? Now im a lil confused where to go and get a certified copy. I just hope USCIS will consider a photocopy in the packet. Thanks for the reply.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Hi there! Hoping to file my AOS as soon as possible might be this week or early next week, but i just want to make sure if a photocopy of marriage license acceptable as certified true copy? I have with me the original but i just included a photocopy of it in the packet. Before we get married we got the marriage license at probate court with both our names written and birthdates except for the date and place of marriage and pastor's name which are blank. Right after our wedding or after the short ceremony at the church, the pastor signed his name and filled out the date and place of marriage.Should i go back to the place where we got the marriage license and ask for a certified copy? Now im a lil confused where to go and get a certified copy. I just hope USCIS will consider a photocopy in the packet. Thanks for the reply.

USCIS asks for a photocopy. Not a certified copy. Regular photocopy is more than fine.

[moleary 2]

USCIS asks for a photocopy. Not a certified copy. Regular photocopy is more than fine.

Hi - from what you are saying, once it has been signed by everyone, you can copy it and you're done. I actually still have questions about this one. I'm sorry to be thick but maybe you can see where my confusion comes in.

Why do so many posts mention people waiting to get their marriage certificate mailed to them? Is it because they think they need a 'certified' copy and are waiting unnecessarily? Do some states issue a marriage certificate that is separate and different from the marriage license, and that is what they are waiting on? Are people unnecessarily waiting on the signed document to be recorded (registered/certified - if this is what people mean by 'certified') at the courthouse, reflecting some date and time stamp?

I am curious about all that, but my personal situation comes down to this: in my state, the piece of paper is both the marriage license and the certificate. Once the ceremony is complete, the final signatures are put on the document. I can take it to the courthouse and ask them to record it, and get a copy of that version. Or I can copy it before it goes to the courthouse. Is the latter acceptable for AOS purposes?

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Hi - from what you are saying, once it has been signed by everyone, you can copy it and you're done. I actually still have questions about this one. I'm sorry to be thick but maybe you can see where my confusion comes in.

Why do so many posts mention people waiting to get their marriage certificate mailed to them? Is it because they think they need a 'certified' copy and are waiting unnecessarily? Do some states issue a marriage certificate that is separate and different from the marriage license, and that is what they are waiting on? Are people unnecessarily waiting on the signed document to be recorded (registered/certified - if this is what people mean by 'certified') at the courthouse, reflecting some date and time stamp?

I am curious about all that, but my personal situation comes down to this: in my state, the piece of paper is both the marriage license and the certificate. Once the ceremony is complete, the final signatures are put on the document. I can take it to the courthouse and ask them to record it, and get a copy of that version. Or I can copy it before it goes to the courthouse. Is the latter acceptable for AOS purposes?

You need to send it off to (or take it to) the county clerks office who will make it official first.. which is of course what matters because right now it's only a "licence" and they will turn it into a marriage certificate (stamps, and clerks signatures etc). You can then photocopy that certificate and send it with your AOS parcel. You need a marriage CERTIFICATE and not a marriage licence to send with AOS.

[moleary 2]

You need to send it off to (or take it to) the county clerks office who will make it official first.. which is of course what matters because right now it's only a "licence" and they will turn it into a marriage certificate (stamps, and clerks signatures etc). You can then photocopy that certificate and send it with your AOS parcel. You need a marriage CERTIFICATE and not a marriage licence to send with AOS.

Gotcha. Thanks. I would add that when I talked to them, the county clerk's office said that normally nothing is mailed back to the couple unless they ask for it. The officiant normally mails in two of the three copies and the married couple keeps the third copy. That's all they get. (further fueling my initial confusion)

Edited August 5, 2010 by moleary

[filipinay 0]

Gotcha. Thanks. I would add that when I talked to them, the county clerk's office said that normally nothing is mailed back to the couple unless they ask for it. The officiant normally mails in two of the three copies and the married couple keeps the third copy. That's all they get. (further fueling my initial confusion)

You have to request a certified true copy of your marriage certificate from the county clerk's office, it would cost you around $ 14, you can request in person and get it the same day or by mail which would probably take a week to get it. Once you recieve your certified true copy make a photocopy of it and attach it to your AOS.

[TBoneTX 45,329]

After our marriage by a JP, we asked if we could take the signed marriage license to the courthouse ourselves. This was fine. We blew straight down there (making it there about 45 minutes before closing), ordered 7 certificates at $7 apiece (which they prepared on the spot), and we were all set. The courthouse clerk remarked that she'd never had an order for so many, but she prepared them without complaint. After expending copies on AOS, souvenirs for the mothers, getting the new wife onto the bank account, etc., we have 2 or maybe 1 left. It never hurts to get extras, as long as you're ordering them anyway.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

We took the express route. We went to the county clerk's office, got a marriage license, got married by a JP (we even requested one who spoke Vietnamese), registered the marriage, and got a certified copy of the marriage certificate - all without leaving the building.

[Colleens 40]

We were able to get our certificate right at the courthouse where we had our ceremony. We also asked the clerk for a couple certified copies and when explaining all about the immigration process and the costs associated, she gave us a couple for free