Marriages
GETTING MARRIED IN MICHIGAN? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW….
Who can marry….
To be able to marry you must not be married to someone else. (MCL 551.5) If you have been married before, you may be asked to document that the earlier marriage has ended due to death, divorce or annulment.
To obtain a Michigan marriage license the couple must be 18 years of age or older and be able to enter into legal contracts. (MCL 551.103)
As proof of age, the person who intends to be married, in addition to the statement of age in the application, when requested by the county clerk, shall submit a birth certificate or other proof of age.
Where to apply and where to marry….
If either of the couple are Michigan residents, they must apply with the county clerk where one or both have legal residence. Once the license is issued, Michigan residents can marry anywhere in the state. (MCL 551.101)
If neither of the couple lives in Michigan, they must apply with the county clerk where the marriage ceremony is to be performed. Once issued, the license can be used only in the issuing county. (MCL 551.101)
In either case, the use of a Michigan License is not valid outside the State of Michigan.
Who can you marry….
There are restrictions on who someone can marry. (MCL 551.3 and 551.4)
An individual shall not marry the individual's parent, sibling, grandparent, child, grandchild, stepparent, grandparent's spouse, child's spouse, grandchild's spouse, spouse's parent, spouse's grandparent, spouse's child, spouse's grandchild, sibling's child, parent's sibling, or cousin of the first degree.
The three day waiting period….
Generally, a marriage license is not issued for a period of three days from the date of the application. Applicants can, however, request a waiver of the three day waiting period from the clerk issuing the license. (MCL 551.103a)
Special notice of perjury….
Note that the application for a marriage license is a sworn affidavit. Making false statements in the marriage license affidavit is an act of perjury which is a prosecutable offense. (MCL 551.108)
Marriage Licenses are only valid for 33 days (including 3 day waiting period) from date of application. Please only make application if you intend to marry within the next 33 days.
Applicant(s) will be required to present the birth certificates of both applicants and supply the social security numbers of both applicants.