Arkansas Marriage License

If you live in Arkansas and want to get married here, you must apply for Arkansas Marriage License. Marriage licenses in Arkansas are granted by the Clerk’s Office.

Arkansas Marriage License Requirement

In order to obtain Arkansas Marriage License, you and your partner must first fill in the application form. Before applying you must check if you meet the state’s requirements. After the application, you must provide the needed documents to the Clerk’s Office.

When you are ready to start your application, take into account the following steps and requirements:

• First, you and your partner must be at least 18 years old
• Secondly, you must together visit any official Clerk’s Office
• Finally, you must pay the required fee of $60

In Arkansas, you don’t need to be a U.S resident to get married.

If the applicant is at least 18 not older than 21, he/she will need to provide proof of identity. It can be a copy of your birth certificate, driver’s ID, military ID and other documents given by the state and have your photo and data on them.

If you were previously married, you will need to produce your divorce decree. If your partner had died you should provide documents and details about the former partner’s death date, county, and state.

You must present a certified copy of your divorce decree if your name has changed.

When you finish your application, you can immediately receive your license. But this law works for applicants who are 18 and over. Those applicants who applied for the license with their parent’s consent will have to wait 5 working days to get their license.

Once you have got your marriage license and have done the wedding ceremony, you can obtain your marriage certificate.

ID Requirements for Arkansas marriage license

When applying for a marriage license, all the applicants who are at least 18 must provide proof of identity.

Arkansas accepts the following documents:

• You can bring an ID card
• Driver’s ID card
• Any country’s passport and visa
• If you are a military worker you can bring your military ID
• Your Birth Certificate. If your certificate is in another language, you will need to translate it into English.

 Age Requirements For the Marriage License

In Arkansas, the state law requires you to be at least 18 years old to marry. You will not need your parents’ consent to marry if you are 18 or over. If you are under 18 you must apply for a marriage license with your parents or legal guardians.

If you have applied and provided the documents that your parents signed, you are going to wait for 5 working days.

Your parent’s consent is a legal document that they agree with your marriage. That is they both sign a contract for their teenager to marry. However, if one of the parents is dead, you must provide the death certificate. If your parent is in custody, the clerk’s office will require you to bring the divorce documents and any other relevant ones.

No teenager under 17 can legally marry in Arkansas.

Marriage witnesses and officiants

In fact, you don’t need to have any witnesses with you to get your marriage license.

What concerns marriage officiants, you must have an officiant with you on your marriage day. Marriage officiants can be:

• Arkansas Justice of Peace
• Marriage ministers that have a license or certificate of Ordination
• Arkansas Governor
• Any Court Judge who is legally performing marriages
• A Priest

On your wedding day, your marriage officiant must sign your license. Then you must take it to the Clerk’s Office to legalize. You must do it within the next 60 days.

Covenant Marriages in Arkansas

Covenant marriage is a legally accepted type of marriage that allows married couples to agree and have pre-marital counseling and accept fewer grounds for divorce later on. That is the divorce process becomes harder than in regular.

Arkansas offers covenant marriages. In Arkansas, you and your partner may contract a covenant marriage by confirming that fact on their marriage license application. You must as well sign a separate declaration to agree with the terms and conditions.

• First of all both sides must sign a recitation.
• Secondly, you must sign an affidavit to state that they have passed authorized counseling about marriage laws and goals.
• Finally, you must have your Attestation signed by the counselor.

Fees for Arkansas Marriage License

In Arkansas, you must pay 60 dollars to the Clerk’s Office. This is your application and license fee. You can make payments either in cash or with a debit or credit card.

Changing your name after getting married

After the wedding ceremony, many couples change their last name with their partner’s name. So in case, you decided to change your name, you must apply for it before the wedding day. You will also need to change all the documents you have.

The new marriage license and certificate will have your new name.

Your license is valid only for two months

Whenever you obtain your license, you must use it in the next 60 days. After that you marry with that license, you must take it back to the Clerk’s Office.

If you haven’t managed to marry for 60 days, you cannot use the license anymore. You must apply for a new marriage license.

You must, however, remember that this license doesn’t mean that you have married. It is only a document that allows you to marry legally. Actually. when you marry someone, you will obtain your marriage certificate. A marriage certificate will be valid all your life. It is legal proof that you have a husband or wife.

Arkansas accepts same-sex marriages

In 2015, the U.S.A adopted a law that allows people of the same gender to marry each other. So Arkansas, like the other states of the U.S, accepts same-gender marriages.

In fact, you don’t need to take any special steps for same-sex marriages. You just have to undergo the same process as opposite-gender marriages.

FAQ’s about Arkansas Marriage License

1. Does Arkansas require a medical test?

No. Generally, In Arkansas, you don’t need to pass any medical tests.

2. Do I have the right to marry my cousin in Arkansas?

No. In Arkansas, you cannot marry your first cousins or blood relatives.

3. Can I have my marriage license in Arkansas and marry in another state?

Your Arkansas marriage license you can use only in the state of Arkansas.

4. Can I apply for a proxy marriage?

No. Arkansas does not accept proxy marriages. You and your partner must both be in court on the application and wedding ceremony days.

5. Are marriage records of Arkansas public?

Generally, it is Arkansas Vital Records Center that provides marriage records. Some of the marriage records are even open to the public.

Actually, the records that are open to the public are about 100 years old. And if you want to acquire the marriage record, you must apply to the Arkansas Health Department to send them a request.

You can apply online, call them or visit the department.

You can apply online via the Arkansas Vital Records portal. However, you must pay extra 5 dollars to have access to the documents.

In addition, you can physically visit the office. You just need to bring the required documents. In this case, you must pay a fee of 10 dollars.

You can also apply by mail. In that case, you will only need to provide a complete application form.

Arkansas Department of Health has the following address:

Vital Records, Slot 44
4815 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205