One Less Thing to Worry About Before the Wedding

So you want to get married. Congratulations. Chances are you’re going to be very busy finding a place for the wedding, selecting someone to perform the ceremony, ordering flowers and invitations not to mention choosing bridesmaids, sampling wedding cakes and visiting sites for a reception.

But maybe not.

Maybe you want to ditch all the expense and headaches of a big wedding and just want a nice little ceremony in front of a justice of the peace. That works, too. Either way there is one thing you are definitely going to need: a license to get married.

Well, here in Bucks County the process to obtain a marriage license is quite simple. The couple, which still can only be a male and a female, must appear together in person at either the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. any weekday or at the office of a Bucks County District Judge. The courthouse is also open on the first and third Wednesday of each month until 7:30 p.m.

You’ll need to bring your driver’s license, a state ID or your passport to prove that you are both 18 years old or older as well as proof that any prior marriages have been terminated. That means either a copy of your most recent divorce or a death certificate of your most recent former spouse if you are a widow or widower. If any of these documents are in a foreign language, you’ll need a copy of the original, an English translation and an affidavit of translation, which is simply a notarized statement that says the translator is fluent in both languages and that the translation is true and correct.

If you under 18, you’ll need the consent of the custodial parent or guardian. That person should appear with you at the courthouse. If that’s not possible he or she can make a notarized statement granting permission but that affidavit should have two signed witnesses attesting to its validity. If one of the applicants is under 16, the court will have to decide that it is in the best interest of the applicant before a license can be issued. 

Blood tests are no longer required in Pennsylvania.

There is a three day waiting period from the time you apply for a license until you can pick it up. If, for some reason, there’s an emergency you can expedite the process but you’ll have to complete a form, which the Clerk of the Orphan’s Court Division can give you. A military applicant on active duty who has a short leave can obtain a waiver of that three-day waiting period.

The license will be valid for 60 days. If you don’t use it by then, you’ll have to apply for a new one. You can also obtain the license in Doylestown and get married in Philadelphia or some other county in Pennsylvania. You don’t have to get married in Bucks.

By the way, you can’t be drunk when you apply for a license and you can’t marry any relative who is a first cousin or closer, but I think those things are kind of common sense.

Check out the website for more details including the fees and phone numbers.

Beverly Black is an attorney and writer who lives in Bucks County.