How To: Get married in the US

Make sure you are sure before getting married - the motto for all wedding plans. However, you don't only have carefully consider whom to marry, but also where to get married. More and more people decide to get married in the US - learn anything you have to know about this below. Please note that the following advice is merely an example for the regulations in the US state of Nevada. We chose Las Vegas since it is still a very popular destination for weddings. If you are planning your wedding in another US state, please ask for information at the US consulate responsible for your chosen location.

Legal age In Nevada, the legal age for marriage is 18. This has to be documented upon request with birth certificates and passports. Persons under 18 will need the consent of a parent or legal guardian. The consent may be given in person when applying for the later marriage license or in written form as a sworn statement. Even persons under 16 may get married, for this you will also need approval of the Nevada District Court. Marrying first cousins is illegal in Nevada.

Certificates You do not need to provide any personal documents (birth certificates etc). Marriage banns are not necessary either. In case one or both partners have been married before, however, you will have to state the reasons for separation (divorce, death etc) as well as date and place.

Marriage license Both partners have to go to the Marriage License Bureau together with their passports and apply for their marriage license. Fees for a license are $55 at present and have to be paid in cash.

Address:
Marriage License Bureau
200 S. Third Street (in the Court House)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89155
Phone: (702) 455 44 15
Opening hours: Monday to Tuesday 8am to 12 midnight
Friday 8am to Sunday midnight open round-the-clock

Marriage The wedding ceremony can be done either by the Commissioner of Civil Marriages or a state-authorized person in one of the famous wedding chapels. However, at least one witness is required. Civil and religious marriages, however, are equally valid in Nevada.

Address: Commissioner of Civil Marriages
309 S. Third Street, Ground Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada
Same opening hours as Marriage License Bureau

The fee for a wedding ceremony with a Commissioner of Civil Marriages is $50 at present. The fees for the wedding chapels depend on the wishes of the customer, at least $95 however. Find a list of wedding chapels on the following homepages: www.vegasfreedom.com and www.lvchamber.com.

Marriage license and validity of marriage A Nevada marriage is valid in Germany as well. The requirements, however, are that both partners meet the marriage requirements from their respective home country (e.g. legal age etc). and that the wedding ceremony has been conducted according to Nevada law.

Please note that there can be delays with the recognition of Nevada marriage licenses in Germany, which can be avoided, however, if you keep in mind the following advice:

At the ceremony you will receive a marriage license, which is not, however, a "certified copy of the marriage certificate." You will get that at the County Recorder for a fee of $10. It will be issued within 10 days. In addition, the certified copy must include the so-called "Apostille" that you can apply for together with the marriage certificate. Please note that processing might take up to 18 weeks. The reason: your documents will be forwarded to the Secretary of State (for an additional $75). Our advice: already apply for the Apostille in the US, if you wait until you are back in Germany you will have to face higher fees and longer waiting times.

Address: Clark County Recorder
500 S. Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada 89155

Of course you may also contact the responsible honorary consul official in Las Vegas, Ms Sigrid Sommer, she is authorized to get you the certified license and Apostille for a fee of $41.

Address: 900 E. Desert Inn Road, Suite 103
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Phone: (702) 734 9700
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 12 noon

During the weekend, you can apply for the certificates as follows:
Put your home address on a copy of the certificate and put it in an envelope together with the fee of $75 ($105 for priority processing by the Secretary of State) and put it in their mailbox. Processing time is ca. 8 weeks (4 weeks for priority processing by the Secretary of State).

If you want to, you can apply for a family register at the German civil registry office after the wedding. According to experience, the registrar will often want to see not only the marriage certificate but also a certified copy of the marriage license. (The fee for that is $4 in Las Vegas, an investment that us really worth it.)

Good luck to all of you who want to get married and we hope we could help you with your questions about the Las Vegas wedding-jungle.