All You Need to Know About Marriage Documentation
Whether you are eloping or having a formal wedding, marriage licenses can be quite a process in making sure you’ve got all the correct information. We frequently get questions from couples about how this process works. So, we’ve compiled the most common questions to make sure you get started on the right path.
Note: The answers to these questions are only applicable for couples getting married in Washington state, and more specifically King County. We use King County as our base because it is where we are located as a business, where we pay our taxes, and where many of us on the Tapestry Team grew up. It also happens that King County has a robust in-person service. When couples fly into Seattle, they only have a three-day waiting period before they can get married with a King County license. COVID-19 has changed these services, as we specify below, but we still prefer to use King County. If you are interested in other counties, you will have to look at your state’s and county’s specific requirements and regulations.
Q: How do you get a marriage license in Washington state?
A: Most eloping couples fly into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to elope in the Pacific Northwest. It is most convenient to apply for a marriage license through King County if that is the case, however, you can register in any county if you are flying into a different regional airport. Washington has a mandatory 3-day waiting period between when you acquire your marriage license and when you can be legally married. If you are filing and picking up in Seattle, you can start your application process online here. Unless you have a notary handy, it's easiest to go into the office and pick up your marriage certificate in person. You do not need an appointment, but you are both required to be physically present to pick up the certificate with a photo ID on hand. The cost of the certificate is $67 (with no additional fees if paid by cash or check; a 2.5% fee if paid by credit card). Each county has a slightly different price, so make sure you check ahead if you aren’t going to register in King County. If you want to read up on all the juicy details, you can find them here at the Marriage licensing page for King County.
During COVID times, the process is a little bit more difficult. One, you need to make sure you give yourself enough time to mail in the application, have the record’s office process it, and get the license returned to you. Two, you need to find a notary. Washington state generally does not have notaries available at their county records offices, as they are all closed during the pandemic. You can find a notary by calling UPS offices or an independent shipping business and find out if they have notary and what those hours are. (If you are in Seattle, try The Postman!) Additionally, notaries frequently will independently drive out to you to notarize your document. Unfortunately for out-of-state elopers, you have to have a notary that is certified by Washington state to notarize your application to get married in Washington.
After you have submitted your application, the recorder’s office will take a few days (three at the minimum) to ship you the license that your officiant will sign for you after your ceremony. Once you get married (woo-hoo!) and have all the proper signatures in the proper places, your officiant will submit the paperwork so that the state can recognize your marriage. After they have done so, you can check in with the county’s public records (King County’s are here) to see when it has been received and approved.
As soon as it shows up in the records, you can purchase copies of the license through the mail or online. You can also call and ask for a status update; our experience with the offices at the pandemic is that they are understaffed but want to help!
Note that the gold and red certificate of marriage that you receive in the packet with your marriage license is not your actual license. It is a commemorative certificate to put in your wedding album or do whatever you like with. That being said, do not throw it away! It has the ID number of your marriage application on the back that allows you to get copies of the license. If you do lose it, you can also find the application number in the records search.
If you need to file a marriage application in person, here is a list of counties in Washington state that we believe have recorder’s offices open to the public because, at the date of the publication of this blog, they are in Phase 3:
Q: How do we know our marriage license was filed properly?
A: You need two witnesses (often, the photographers) and your officiant to sign the marriage license in addition to the personal information you (the couple) fill out. I recommend having your portion pre-filled and -signed in case of inclement weather (read: rain). Your officiant is responsible for mailing in the finished paperwork. It can take a week or so for it to be processed during the pandemic. If you want to get copies of the license or confirm the filing, you can conduct an online records search. King County’s records can be found here. Just call the office of the county you applied to get married in to get updates if you can’t find a record of the license online.
Q: What information needs to be provided on the license?
You’ll both need your parents names’, their date of birth, their place of birth, and the date of passing if applicable.
If this is not your first marriage, you will need a certificate of divorce or the death certificate of the previous significant other.
Otherwise, you just need your own two selves and all your love. :)
Q: What do I need a marriage license for?
A: So many things! For insurance, changing your name, the IRS, and bank accounts, having a marriage certificate is key to making sure you get relevant policies and exemptions for your new marital status. Car, home, rental, health, and all the other types of insurance change slightly when you are legally attached to your partner. The IRS will need a copy when you joint-file your taxes. If you want to share a bank account as a married couple, you will need your certificate to prove your marital status.
Q: How do I request a copy of the license?
There are a couple different ways to do this. During non-pandemic times, you can go straight to the office, fill out a form and request the copies there. These times are not non-pandemic times, so, of course, everything is more laborious.
In King County, you can either request them online through the record search here, mail in a check with this application, or call and make the request over the phone with a card number handy. Each marriage license copy costs three dollars.
Q: How do we/I change our/my name?
A: Woo-wee this is a doozy. In some counties and states, they allow you to fill out a lot of the paperwork to change your name when you go to apply for your marriage license. In Washington state, especially during this pandemic, the process is a little more complicated. The described process below is if you or your spouse want to change your name to one that one of you already have (as in one of you wants to take another’s name). For this you will need copies of your marriage license for every legal documentation you have of yourself. This includes: driver’s license, ID, green card, passport, birth certificate, social security card, and credit and debit cards.
We can only speak to the experience of changing your name in the US and, more specifically, Washington state. Other countries may have requirements to make sure all the information lines up if you are planning on becoming a full US citizen once you are married or retaining dual citizenship. Here is a link with other documents you will need to change your name as a non-US citizen.
First, you have to update your social security card through the mail or your nearest social security office. The PNW’s regional social security page is here. To apply for a new social security card you will need proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate), proof of name change (marriage license), proof of identity (passport, state ID, US Military ID, driver’s license), and your current social security card.
After you have received your new social security card (it takes twenty-four hours after applying for your new social security card to be valid; you can also use the receipt from the social security office as proof that you are changing your name on it), you can get a new driver’s license by going to your DMV. You will need: your new social security card (or receipt), your current driver’s license, proof of address, and your marriage license. You will also need cash or a checkbook as there is a fee to get a new driver’s license and not all DMVs take card.
Then, it’s time for the passport. You can get specific information on the process here. It’s important and relevant to note that if you have gotten a new passport in the last year, you can have the name changed without paying a fee, as it is considered a correction. If it has been more than a year, you will have to pay a fee of $110. All passport filing is done by mail through the USPS. After filling out the forms on provided through that link (DS-82), you will also need to include a copy of your marriage license, your current passport, a check, and a recent color photograph that fits into their size requirements.
At this time, COVID-19 is severely slowing down the passport process. They are not doing expedited processing unless it is a life or death emergency. Many of the passport centers are understaffed or still in Phase I of their COVID opening. Please be patient during this process.
Next, if you are changing your name everywhere else, you will need to change it on your bank accounts. For banks you will need a certified copy of your marriage license, your new social security card, and your new driver’s license or state ID. For credit cards, each company handles the process a little differently. Some allow you to simply enter in the new information for review; some require you to mail in a certified copy of your marriage license. After the name change has been processed for banks and credit card companies, they will send you new debit and credit cards. You will have to request new check books from your bank.
Then, you will need to notify a few other places. Your employer will need to be notified so that they can issue your paychecks accordingly. Your insurance information will also need to be updated with your new name. If you are insured through your company, just notify HR and they will help you out! You can update your information for rent, mortgage, and/or utility companies usually through an online form or an email. Don’t forget to update them with your new credit card numbers!
There will be other things that have your name that you will have to update as they appear. Whether it’s your email address, Facebook, or other services, most non-official services are usually easy to change.
If you are wanting to create a new last name, hyphenate your names, or change one of your middle names, you will have to get a court-ordered name change. This means that you have to fill out a Petition and Order form (here for King County) and pay the fee, get the order approved by the judge, purchase certified copies, and then get the County Auditor to record the Order. This can take up to two and a half months to process.
Photos courtesy of Zarza Photography.
So those are the main asks we get! Let us know if you have further questions or if you are wondering about specific instances. We would be more than happy to help. :)
— Kelleen, Tapestry Blogger + Kate, Tapestry Creative Director