Process for Obtaining an Oregon Marriage License
Are you planning to get married in the State of Oregon? Of course you can do so and lead a very happy life here just as in the other states in the country. Before you can get married, the first thing you need to do is get a marriage license, because it is the license that allows you to organize the marriage ceremony.
Once you have the marriage license, you need to organize the ceremony and invite someone who is legally allowed to conduct the wedding. After this, the person who marries you needs to sign the license document and send it to the authorities. They will then issue the marriage certificate that proclaims the two of you as ‘Man’ and ‘Wife’.
So it all starts with the marriage license, and to obtain one you will have to send in an application. There are certain regulations for this and certain things that you will have to do when you are submitting an application. You will therefore need to know them before you are ready to apply.
What You Need to Know When Applying for Your Oregon Marriage License
The marriage license is an official document that allows you to organize the wedding ceremony. Do keep in mind that this document is not proof of your marriage. Proof is actually contained in the marriage certificate that is issued once the ceremony has taken place and the document is signed by the minister, then sent to the proper authority for validation.
Marriage licenses in the State of Oregon are issued by different County Clerk offices. You will thus have to apply at the respective County Clerk’s office.
How to Apply for Your Oregon Marriage License
• At the very beginning, even before you submit the application, you must know that you have to apply about a month before the decided upon date of marriage. The validity of the license tends to differ from one state to another and in Oregon it is 60 days. So you can apply about a month before the proposed date. Do however make it a point to get married before the license expires.
• When you are applying for the Oregon marriage license, you will have to send some documents that prove your age and identity. These documents include your passport or birth certificate, driver’s license, tax information and Social Security Number.
• Also remember that both you and your would-be spouse need to turn in the application together. Plus, you must also be accompanied by a witness who may be the maid of honor, best man or someone else.
• The would-be bride also needs to mention in the application the name she will take once she is married. This name will be included in the final marriage certificate.
• In some states of the country, you need to be a resident to get married there. But this is not the case in Oregon – you need not be a resident of the state.
• Carrying out a blood test or some other test is not mandatory in the state.
• Proxy marriages are not allowed in Oregon.
• Common law marriage and cousin marriages are not allowed here.
• You will need to pay a fee when you are applying. The fee in Oregon is $60 and it is payable only in cash. This fee cannot be waived as is the case in some other states.
• If you have been married before, then you must provide information about such marriage/s and the reason why it came to an end (divorce, death etc.). If there was a divorce, the marriage license can only be issued one day after the final date of a divorce. You must mention the final divorce date on the marriage license application.
• The legal age for getting married for both the groom and the bride is 18 years. It is however possible for someone who is younger to get married legally provided the person has a guardian’s consent. If this is the case, you can get the parent or guardian consent form from the County Recorder's office.
• In cases where the parent or the legal guardian is not available, then you must have an affidavit signed by someone other than the bride or groom and the facts need to be stated there. You can find these affidavit forms at the County Recorder's office as well.
• The marriage license, once issued, is valid only within the state.
Who Can Conduct the Marriage Ceremony in Oregon?
A wedding ceremony in the state can be conducted by a judge, justices of peace, county clerks or their deputies within the particular county, as well as ministers, pastors, rabbis and priests. If the minister is performing the marriage, he or she needs to file their credentials with the County Clerk of the county in which they reside or in which the marriage is to be performed.
Here are some of the County Clerk’s offices in the state where you can apply for an Oregon marriage license. Do remember that you need to approach the county that is relevant to you:
Baker County Clerk
Baker, OR
541.523.8207
Benton County
Corvallis, OR
541.757.6831
Clackamas County
Oregon City, OR
503.655.8551
Clatsop County
Astoria, OR
503.325.8511
Columbia County
St Helens, OR
503.397.3796
Harney County
Burns, OR
541.573.6641
Hood River
Hood River, OR
541.386.3970
Jackson County
Medford, OR
541.776.7232
Jefferson County
Madras, OR
541.475.4451
Josephine County
Grants Pass, OR
541.474.5243
Morrow County
Heppner, OR
503.676.9061
Multnomah County
Portland, OR
503.248.3027
Polk County
Dallas, OR
503.623.9217
Sherman County
Moro, OR
541.565.3606
Tillamook County
Tillamook, OR
503.842.3402
Lake County
Lakeview, OR
541.947.6006
Lane County
Eugene, OR
541.682.3653
Lincoln County
Newport, OR
541.265.4121
Linn County
Albany, OR
541.967.3831
Malheur County
Vale, OR
541.473.5151
Wallowa County
Enterprise, OR
541.426.4543
|
