Location for Filing for CR1?

[Ryan H 3,812]

21 hours ago, The White Fiance said:

Regarding consummation, tt's nice of the government to encourage romance.

 

In this context, consummation simply means being in the same place after having gotten married.  What a couple does during that time is their own business.

[The White Fiance 22]

I'll let her know. Eventually.

[The White Fiance 22]

Things are looking pretty good. The fiancee and I don't mind getting an online wedding, since we can always redo it properly in the future. Also, I learned that we have another choice. Iceland is open to Zambians, and they allow foreigners with USA marriage licenses to get married there.

 

Before we had the option of getting a Utah license, we were stuck. Iceland requires proof of eligibility for marriage, which means proof you're single. They told me I needed a document from every state where I've lived since I was 18. I have lived in Kentucky. Kentucky will not provide a document unless you're currently a state resident, and I don't live there any more. Now, if we decide to fly to Iceland, we can bypass the document requirement by producing a Utah license.

 

Interesting alternative for people who aren't excited about being married online by a judge, while wearing pajamas.

 

We will probably marry online, but maybe this information will help other people.

 

 

[Chancy 6,241]

7 hours ago, The White Fiance said:

Iceland is open to Zambians, and they allow foreigners with USA marriage licenses to get married there.

 

I'm confused -- why get married in Iceland when you already have the license to be married in Utah through the Zoom wedding?  Or did you just mean that you'll get married through Utah Zoom wedding while being physically present in Iceland?

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Chancy

[The White Fiance 22]

The only purpose of going to Iceland would be to have a more normal ceremony.

[payxibka 10,045]

8 minutes ago, The White Fiance said:

The only purpose of going to Iceland would be to have a more normal ceremony.

How will it be a more normal ceremony?  If using the Utah license, it will still be a zoom wedding 

[The White Fiance 22]

Iceland permits in-person weddings using American licenses.

[payxibka 10,045]

1 minute ago, The White Fiance said:

Iceland permits in-person weddings using American licenses.

A Utah license must be officiated by Utah officiant

[Chancy 6,241]

5 minutes ago, The White Fiance said:

The only purpose of going to Iceland would be to have a more normal ceremony.

 

If you plan to get married through Utah Zoom wedding, the marriage must be registered in Utah, not Iceland.  After the Zoom ceremony, the marriage officiant must return the license to the county clerk in Utah.  After that, your marriage certificate will show that you were married in Utah, even if you were physically present in Iceland for the ceremony.

 

6 minutes ago, The White Fiance said:

Iceland permits in-person weddings using American licenses.

 

You need to decide where you want to legalize your marriage.  You can only register your marriage in one jurisdiction -- either Utah or Iceland, not both.

 

[payxibka 10,045]

25 minutes ago, The White Fiance said:

Iceland permits in-person weddings using American licenses.

A close read of the Utah laws will indicate that at least ONE party to the ceremony (officiant, bride or groom) MUST be present in Utah at the time of the ceremony 

[The White Fiance 22]

1 hour ago, payxibka said:

A Utah license must be officiated by Utah officiant

Only if you get married in Utah. Iceland will accept the license as proof of no impediment.

[Chancy 6,241]

17 minutes ago, The White Fiance said:

Only if you get married in Utah. Iceland will accept the license as proof of no impediment.

 

If you use the Utah license to go through the Zoom ceremony, you will get married in Utah!  Even if you are physically present in Iceland for the ceremony.  You cannot legally marry in one jurisdiction while already married through a wedding legalized in another jurisdiction, at least not for US immigration purposes.

 

Or are you saying that you will get the Utah license simply to be allowed in to Iceland, then discard it and not do the Zoom ceremony?

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Chancy
clarification

[The White Fiance 22]

Let me go step by step.

 

Many people cannot get together to marry in the countries where the parties reside, and some couples simply don't want to marry in those countries. I have posted about two options for them: a) marrying via Zoom using a Utah license and an officiant who is inside Utah, or b) marrying in a third country, in the presence of the officiant and witnesses.

 

Marrying in a third country may require documents proving both parties are eligible to marry.

 

Because the federal government is backward, it does not provide these documents for Americans, so the burden falls on states. Some states refuse to provide them. This means it is not possible for certain Americans to marry (in person) in third countries unless they find ways around the document requirement.

 

As of now, Iceland allows vaccinated tourists to enter without much hassle. That makes it a target destination. Iceland insists on proof both parties are eligible to marry. If you can't get documents showing you have no marriages on record from every state where you have resided since you were 18, Iceland will accept a foreign marriage license as proof you can marry. This makes it unnecessary for an American who wants to be married in Iceland to get documents from American states.

 

My information about Iceland accepting foreign licenses comes directly from an email from an official in the government of Iceland, so if you disagree, take it up with her, not me.

 

Utah will provide licenses for just about anyone, online. A Utah license will work in Iceland. Not for a Zoom wedding registered in Utah. For a conventional wedding registered in Iceland.

 

To sum up, an American who wants to be married in person in Iceland can satisfy Iceland's government by producing a Utah marriage license. He will still have to do the Iceland paperwork, but at least the marriage can be performed. Utah will have no legal connection to the wedding. It will be legitimized by Iceland, not Utah.

 

The Utah license can also be used to do a Zoom marriage using a Utah officiant, but some people would prefer to marry in a normal ceremony where everyone involved is at the same location. Using a Utah license to facilitate an overseas marriage will allow you to have a normal wedding in Iceland, which is supposedly a pleasant destination.

 

There are other countries that allow in-person marriages for Americans without official documents proving they're eligible, so for those countries, going through Utah to get a license would be unnecessary.

 

Personally, I grew up in Florida, and I am sick of beaches, the ocean, hot weather, sunburn, syrupy rum drinks, and fish. It looks like a lot of the destinations where I can marry easily are tropical destinations, and I have no desire to travel to such places. Many people get excited about beach destinations. I have spent a ton of time in Florida and the Bahamas, and I would prefer not to have my wedding or honeymoon ruined by yet another trip to a sweaty beach. Also, my fiancee is in Zambia, and flights to the New World tropics are incredibly long.

 

[Chancy 6,241]

In short, you mean: get the Utah license simply to be allowed to marry in Iceland, then discard the license and not do the Zoom ceremony, instead do a regular wedding in Iceland.

 

That would certainly be an interesting workaround.  If you go through with that plan, I hope you let us know how it goes.  Pre-COVID travel restrictions, I remember Iceland being one of the popular alternatives suggested here for those having trouble meeting the requirements for marrying in another European country or elsewhere in the world.