how do i get married in the states? philly, pa?

[tlomlad]

so... my little fi and i have pretty much got the whole destination wedding thing down but are stuggling with what we need to do here in the states.

 

we live in philadelphia, pa and want to get married by the law here before heading down to cancun. had anyone ever done this before?

 

how far in advance do you need to plan for the wedding?

 

what kind of documents [i.e. driver's licenese. social security card etc] is needed?

 

where do i go to get a quick weddng ceremony done? city hall?

 

 

HELPPPP, please

[tvt]

MARRIAGE LICENSES

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OBTAINING A MARRIAGE LICENSE IN PHILADELPHIA

 

 

 

1. The fee for a marriage license is $80.00*, payable by cash or money order. Checks and credit cards are NOT accepted.

2. Both applicants must appear together in Room 413 City Hall to apply for the marriage license.

3. The marriage license will issue on the third day following application and is valid for only sixty (60) days from the issue date that appears on the license. If the license is not used within the 60 day period, the marriage license must be returned and the application process must be repeated in its entirety and the fee re-paid.

4. The marriage license can be used in any county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; however, a PA license cannot be used out-of-state.

5. Applicants must produce the following identification: a CURRENT, VALID PHOTO I.D. in the form of either a driver’s license; non-driver’s license; international driver’s license; passport; military I.D.; resident alien card or consulate card AND a Social Security card or any other form of I.D. issued by an official entity which reflects the applicant’s Social Security number (i.e. Social Security printout; pay stub; W-2 form; income tax return; prescription card; access card etc.). If an applicant does NOT possess a Social Security number he/she must produce a Secondary I.D. in the form of a birth certificate (officially translated, if appropriate); or any other form of I.D. issued by an official entity, in addition to the above-noted current, valid photo I.D. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE TAKEN WITHOUT THESE DOCUMENTS.

6. If either applicant was previously married, proof of dissolution of the latest marriage must be submitted at the time of application. A widowed applicant must submit a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse. A divorced applicant must provide a certified copy of the most recent divorce decree. If either of the foregoing documents is not written in English it must be translated to English and the translation must be certified to be correct.

7. If an applicant has had a legal name change the certified decree of the court ordering this change must be presented at the time of application.

8. If either of the applicants is a MINOR between the ages of sixteen and seventeen, the minor’s parent or legal guardian must appear at the time the application is made. If the minor is fifteen years of age or younger, the Court must authorize the issuance of the license. The parent/ guardian must prove his/her relationship to the minor by submitting current, valid photo I.D. If the parent/ guardian resides outside this jurisdiction, the office will supply the necessary consent form at an *additional fee of $10.00 per minor.

9. The Marriage License Bureau is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. Wednesday hours are from 8:30 A.M. until 7:30 P.M. Please schedule your arrival no later than one-half hour before closing time to allow for processing.

10. Upon expiration of the three day waiting period following application, the license must be picked up in person either by the applicant or any designated person. Your license will NOT be mailed to you.

11. * ADDITIONAL FEES: Quaker/ Self-Uniting License $90.00

Lost License $10.00

 

12. If either applicant cannot speak or understand English, he/ she must be accompanied by a translator who possesses current, valid photo I.D.

 

 

 

 

CONTACT US

 

 

 

Marriage License Bureau

Room 415 City Hall

Philadelphia, PA 19107

 

 

TELEPHONE

 

 

 

Marriage License Department

(215) 686-2233

[tvt]

got that info from

 

PHILA.GOV | Welcome to the City of Philadelphia

 

then clicked on marriage license.

 

 

in az we had to first get the marriage license, then we went to the courthouse and were legally married by a judge. it was easy peasy. getting the marriage license took the most time. and then if you google courthouses in your area, you can usually call one and they will tell you exactly who you need to call to schedule your legal wedding. al in all it took us 2 weeks from the time we started researching it, to the time we were legally married.

[foxytv]

It was a super easy process for us -- looks like TVT has gotten you all the necessary information.

 

In SC, a notary can legalize the marriage, so we had a notary friend witness us sign the paperwork and she filed it while we were on our DW/HM.

 

Now, the name change (pain in the a$$) process begins....

 

Good Luck!

[AmandaR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlomlad so... my little fi and i have pretty much got the whole destination wedding thing down but are stuggling with what we need to do here in the states. we live in philadelphia, pa and want to get married by the law here before heading down to cancun. had anyone ever done this before? how far in advance do you need to plan for the wedding? what kind of documents [i.e. driver's licenese. social security card etc] is needed? where do i go to get a quick weddng ceremony done? city hall? HELPPPP, please

I got legally married in Lancaster, PA just over a month ago. I highly recommend coming out this way to do the legal marriage for a couple of reasons:

1. Cost is only $40
2. You get the marriage certificate when you apply - you don't have to pick it up after 3 days in order to use it.

The only thing is that in Lancaster they don't perform marriages in City Hall, but they do give a list of judges. We just called one and set up a day and time - very easy and painless.

[LadyP]

There is also a quaint little place that is like a drive threw ceremony in Philly called yerkes Yerkes Wedding Salon Lawrence's brother got married there