Marriage laws in Arlington Virginia

Are you getting married in Arlington, Virginia and coming from out-of-state to do so?  You may want to familiarize yourself with these marriage laws from the Clerk's Office directly:

• No blood tests or witnesses are required.
• The license must be used within 60 days of the date of issuance or it will expire.
• Both parties must be present to obtain a marriage license.
• The Clerk's Office requires some form of identification from each person (Driver's Licenses, Passport, or Military I.D.).
• The fee for the license is $30.00.  Cash and credit cards accepted (Mastercard and Visa only; a service charge of four (4) percent of the amount paid will be collected on credit card payments).
• Decree of Divorce:  If either the bride or groom were previously married, a certified copy of a Decree of Divorce issued by a court must be presented to the Circuit Court Clerk’s office before a marriage license will be issued.  If the Decree is in a language other than English, you must present a certified translation of the document signed and dated by a translator attesting to the accuracy of the document.  For divorced persons there is no statutory waiting period before remarriage after the divorce is final, unless remarriage is specifically prohibited by a court.

The minimum age is 16 years of age for the bride or groom; however; anyone under the age of 18 must bring their parents to sign a consent form or call us for further information.

The clergy, minister or other person performing the marriage must be authorized by a Circuit Court of this Commonwealth to celebrate the rites of matrimony.  The clergy, minister or other person officiating at the marriage ceremony must complete and sign both forms of marriage license and forward both forms to the Clerk of the Court who issued the license within 5 days after the ceremony is performed.

A commemorative certificate of marriage may be prepared by the officiant and given to the newly wedded couple upon request.

What do you think is the most ridiculous change in a marriage law lately?