What is the difference between a public marriage license and a confidential?
What is the difference between a public marriage license and a confidential?
A public marriage license requires one or two witnesses to sign the marriage license. The license is recorded and made a matter of public record. A confidential marriage license requires no witnesses to sign it's just the Officiant. The marriage license is recorded but is only accessible by the couple.
Does the officiant mail the marriage license?
The officiant is required to mail the official license to the County Clerk in the county that issued the license within 10 days from the date of the ceremony. There can be no strikeovers, erasures or white out on the license. If there are any, then the license may not be accepted for filing.
What does it mean when it says marriage license returned?
Once the license is signed (during or after your ceremony) and returned by an officiant to the county, a marriage certificate is issued. Once you have filled it out, had your ceremony, gotten it signed, and your officiant has turned it back into the county, then you receive a marriage certificate.
What happens if your marriage license is never filed?
In most cases, you are still considered married without registering the license. For example, California law requires the officiant to return the marriage license to the county clerk or recorder within 10 days of the ceremony. If, for some reason, this does not happen, you are still married.
