Are you looking to get married in Chicago soon? If you are, then you must surely be thrilled by that prospect. Most people get married in their life, and they probably feel that it is the best moment of your life. Surely you would want to make that as memorable as you can. However, to achieve that goal in Chicago, the law requires that you do something first. You must get yourself a marriage license.

Requirements for getting a marriage license in Chicago

When it comes to marriage licenses, there are certain fundamental requirements which must be made before you get a license.  We used U.S marriage laws as a resource in writing this.

Eligibility requirements: the truth is that before you can get your marriage license, you would first need to be eligible for one under the law. What this means is that you must meet all the stipulations which are given by the law guiding the state of Illinois. One of such requirements is that you must be at least 18 years and above before you can get a marriage license in that state. You and your spouse must also not be related by blood in any way, and you must be clear of all previous marriages and must be legally allowed to get married. While this may be a general rule, there are some exceptions to these rules;

The law states when the first cousin are more than 50 years old, then they can get married to each other. If you are a minor and are between the ages of 16 and 17, then you can get married if you have gotten a written consent from your parents or guardian. In this situation, the parents or guardians who have given consent would appear in person with the consent that has been given. This would also have to be accompanied by a valid proof of identification.

Application Requirements: if you have decided that you wish to apply for a marriage license, you and your partner would have to appear together at the vital records office. There are about six of them, and any of them would be deemed appropriate. You would have to provide proof of your identity, and this must be accompanied by documents showing proof of age. Some of the documents which are allowed for this process would include a government-issued ID and your certificate of birth.

The next step to take would be to fill the application form. Remember to proofread and to do so without errors. Once this has been done, you would have to pay the application fees. Application fees would vary from state to state. In Chicago, you would have to pay $60.

Expiration and Usage: your marriage licenses all come with expiration dates. It must be used while valid and has a lifespan of only 60 days. It is important to note that all marriage licenses issued within the state would be valid for Chicago and Cook County. You cannot use this marriage license in other states even though they share boundaries with Chicago.

Marriage requirements: there are certain requirements to consider when it comes to your marriage ceremony. The first would be getting yourself an officiant. If you do not seem to have found an appropriate one, the state allows you to be wedded by a judge in that jurisdiction. When performing the marriage rites, it is important that the officiant remembers to sign and fill out the spaces meant for the officiant on the marriage license.

After the marriage ceremony is completed, this license should be mailed backed to the office of the clerk. It can also be returned in person.

It is also important to remember to take care of smaller details such as the surnames which you are going to be using after marriage. The law does not stipulate that you change your name after marriage. However, you should inform the office of the clerk whose surname you intend to keep after the marriage is completed.

Getting married in Chicago is an excellent choice. Once you have all your details completed, then you can surely look forward to having a wonderful ceremony in Chicago.