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Marriage Laws
Every state has its own laws and regulations which govern
the recognition & legality of the marriage ceremony. Many states,
including Washington, do not formally recognize same-sex marriages or
"Commitment Ceremonies". When you work with me, all this means
is that there is no paperwork to be submitted to the
county auditor's office. Same-sex marriages or any other commitment ceremonies
can and should be just as special, beautiful and meaningful as traditional
marriage ceremonies. I will do everything within my power to see that
your ceremony, whether recognized by the state or not, is a special time
for you.
With this in mind, the following requirements apply only
to marriages in which the couple wishes the state's formal acknowledgement:
You may refer directly to
Chapter 26.04 of the Washington RCW for a complete breakdown of all
aspects of the code, but for our purposes here I have only included the
main points.
- In Washington
state, the couple must be legally able to obtain a marriage license
by applying to their local county auditor. The county does charge
a fee for the marriage license.
- At the time of the ceremony,
the minister or officiant must complete and submit a certificate of
marriage to the county auditor within 30 days after the marriage.
- There is a three day waiting
period from the date the marriage license is issued before the ceremony
can take place. The marriage must be solemnized within sixty days of
issuance of the license, or a new license will need to be obtained.
- No medical exam or blood tests
are required, but parties must file an affadavit of non-affiliction
with contagious venereal disease. parties must declare in the presence
of the minister, judge or officiant and in the presence of at least
two attending witnesses, that they take each other to be husband and
wife.
- Washington State
does not have a residency requirement, so couples from anywhere in the
world can have their marriage legalized here in Washington. So far,
I have married couples from China, Switzerland and England here.
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