Getting married in the US

Sometimes we get questions concerning the formalities for getting married in the US. Please note that this How To section merely described marriage of two German citizens. In case you are planning to marry a US citizen, please ask the local authorities, e.g. at City Hall, about the requirements for your future US spouse. Mostly, they are rather simple and easy to meet without a lot of bureaucracy. Please also keep in mind that marriage alone does not guarantee you a residence permit or the right to just stay in the country right away.

Since the individual states have their own regulations down to the last counties, we can only focus on some general aspects here, so we will focus on the formalities in the probably most popular place to get married in, Las Vegas. The information is taken from a leaflet of the Federal Administration Office, find more details for your state at the advisory center for the welfare organizations.

Getting married in Nevada
The legal age for marriage is 18. Persons under 18 need their parents' or guardian's consent. The consent can be given in written or oral form when the marriage license is being applied for, in the form of a statutory declaration. The consent form has to include the date of birth of the underage person and the relationship to the consenting person. For persons under 16, the consent of the District Court is required as well. Marriage between first cousins is illegal in Nevada.

Certificates
It is not necessary to provide a personal registration certificate (such as birth certificate) or a notice of intended marriage. In case one or both persons have been married before, you will have to state the reason for the breaking up (divorce, death...) and the ate and place.

Marriage License
This license is necessary to prevent polygamy. However, it very easy to obtain, usually hardly any questions will be asked. Just go to the Marriage License Bureau and formally apply for the license. Please bring along valid passports and the fee of $35.

Marriage
You can be married either by a Commissioner of Civil Marriages or a state authorized person in a wedding chapel. At least one witness needs to be present, best someone from Nevada. Civil and religious marriages are legal in exactly the same way in Nevada. You can find the addresses on the website of the City of Las Vegas, the entire process is commercialized in a way that makes it very easy to handle. A sort on marriage industry has developed in Nevada. So if you would like a bigger wedding party, there are countless commercial providers in Nevada. There are even some specialized German travel agencies that have offers for Nevada weddings.

Marriage certificate and validity of marriage
A marriage from Nevada is valid in Germany as well. However, the requirements are that a) both spouses fulfill the marriage requirements of their own home country (meaning they are of age, single, widowed or divorced and there era no other obstacles), and b) the marriage is valid according to the law of Nevada. There may sometimes be delays with the German authorities recognizing the Nevada marriage certificate. However, you may avoid these by doing the following - the marriage certificate you get during the ceremony is not a real marriage certificate. This "certified copy of the marriage certificate" has to be applied for at the County Recorder in the place you got married, it costs $7 and will be issued after 10 days. According to an international agreement that the US and Germany have joined (Hague Convention), the certified copy must include the so-called "Apostille." For a fee of $20, the Apostille will be included by the Secretary of State, Capitol Complex, Carson City, Nevada 89710. For speeded up processing you should be prepared for fees of $45.

If you wish, a genealogical register can be started for you at your registry office after the wedding. The consulate general has experienced several times that the registrar will ask for a certified copy of the marriage license in addition to the marriage certificate.

Address and opening hours of the Marriage License Bureau in Las Vegas: 200 S. Third Street (in the Courthouse), Las Vegas, Nevada 89155, tel. (001- 702) 455-4415, opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8am - midnight, Friday 8am to Sunday midnight.

Marriage at the Commissioner of Civil Marriages, 309 S. Third Street, ground floor, opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8am - midnight, Friday 8am to Sunday midnight. The fee for a marriage is $35, the fees for the wedding chapels depend on the wishes of the couples, at least $55.

Clark County Recorder, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, 2nd Floor, P.O. Box 551510, Las Vegas, NV 89155-1510, tel.: (001 702) 455-4336. Office hours Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm. You can pay in cash or by money order. Here you can also apply for the above mentioned apostille. In addition, you can submit a money order of $20 (or for speeded up processing $45) to the Secretary of State. Processing may take up to 18 weeks.

Honorary Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany
900 E. Desert Inn Road, Suite103, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, tel.: (001 702) 734-9700, fax: (001 702) 735-4692, email: CONSULLV@aol.com. Opening hours Monday to Friday 10am to 12 noon, without an appointment or with appointment scheduled via phone. For a fee of $39 (including postal charges) Ms Sommer can get you the certified copy of the marriage certificate and the Apostille. On weekends or public holidays you can get the documents as follows: put your home address on the marriage certificate, put it in an envelope together with the necessary fees ($66 or $91 for speeded up processing by the Secretary of State) and leave it in the drop box: Processing takes approx. eight weeks (in the case of speeded up processing by the Secretary of State).

Please note that we do not take responsibility for the correctness of the information.