New Mexico Marriage License

Nowadays getting a woman to marry you has become easier than the marriage process itself. There are so many states and so many rules that are waiting for you. Each state requires the marriage license in first turn, and New Mexico is not an exception as well.

What do you need to get a marriage license in New Mexico?

In fact the process of getting your New Mexico marriage license is not very hard it just requires time and patience. Especially when you know what you should do, it becomes even easier.

Paper Requirements

There are various requirements you need to meet to get your marriage license. First let’s make clear what paperwork you need to have:

• First and the most important one is your current ID with your picture on it. Without it you won’t get your marriage license in New Mexico. Only the birth certificate can be used instead of this document.
• Bring with you the driver’s license or the student ID, again with your photo attached. If you have neither of these, you can take you passport.
• You need to prove that you have a Social Security Number as well. If, for some reasons, you don’t have it show your passport.
• Provided that you have already been married before, you don’t have to prove it has ended. Just provide the date and state of your divorce or his/her death paper.

Age Requirements

After you make sure, you have all the needed papers; you can pay your attention to the age requirements and limitations. Advice: To solve all these issues faster, just have the proof of your age in your birth certificate which you need to present when applying for the marriage license.

According to the New Mexico Law, the accepted age of getting married legally is 18 years. Otherwise, you’ll need your parent’s or the court’s consent to marry someone.

But you need to remember that your parent’s permission will help you only if you are 16 or 17 and not younger. In case one of them is not alive, you must get the copy of the death certificate, as you need the permission of both.

If you want to get into matrimony as soon as at the age of 15, you must get the court’s permitting order from the region you live in.

Where can you go to get your New Mexico marriage license?

Each state has several specialized offices in almost every region, where you can go and get your marriage license. In New Mexico any county clerk’s office can provide you with a marriage license. There are many in the state, but the mostly visited ones are:

• The County Clerk’s office in Santa Fe (Santa Fe County) , at 102 Grant Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501, where you must pay for your license fee only in cash.
• The County Clerk’s office in Albuquerque (Bernalillo County) , where you can apply for your license online.

Who can perform your wedding ceremony in New Mexico?

Luckily, nearly anyone who is associated with religion can perform the wedding ceremony in New Mexico. It can be:

• A justice of the peace
• District Judge
• Magistrate Judge
• Probate Judge
• Municipal Judge

What New Mexico forbids:

• Covenant marriages: Although many states have nothing against covenant marriages, New Mexico doesn’t belong to that list.
• Proxy marriages: According to the state law, both partners must be present at the beginning of the ceremony. You just have no chance to send someone else instead of you.
• Common-law marriages: There is no way you can be regarded as legally married if you consider yourselves as husband and wife and live together. The only thing which will make you legal spouses is the New Mexico marriage license.

What New Mexico allows:

• New Mexico is not against the marriage with your cousin.
• The state no longer forbids the same-sex marriages.

What happens if a New Mexico marriage license is not turned in?

To get the answer of this question ask yourself whether the wedding ceremony makes the couple legally married or not. In case you don’t know the answer: it is definitely NO! The ceremony signifies your union but doesn’t make it legal.

That is to say you should get a marriage license to consider yourself as legally married in New Mexico. It is important to know, that only obtaining the license is not enough, you must as well sign and register it with the county.

Registering process is at most importance, as it lets the state know you have a new legally married status. If not done properly, the state won’t recognize your new status and you won’t get your marriage certificate.

That means you won’t have the opportunity to:

• Buy an apartment with your spouse.
• Use your spouse’s health benefits.
• Change your surname quickly.
• Get immigration advantages via your spouse.

Although you may become legally married even without getting the marriage certificate, it depends on which state you got married. The marriage laws and the court of that particular state decide your status.

What to do if your marriage license expires?

Almost all the states have an expiration date for their marriage license after they issue them. Usually, the county recorders issue the license and tell people a fixed date of its expiration. If it happens before the official wedding ceremony, spouses have to get a new one.

Luckily, the New Mexico marriage licenses have no expiration date. The recorder gives it to you within a few seconds as there are no exams and an additional waiting period. You can use your license within the entire state, after you obtain it.

How much is the fee for getting a marriage license in New Mexico?

Your wedding ceremony can be the most beautiful day in your entire life, but it won’t cost you some pennies. We all know that all the decoration things, invitations, food and other things in the list may be really expensive.

But before getting your white dress on and walking down the aisle, make sure you haven’t forgotten about the marriage license. It’s the permission to make it your big day and authorizing your union.

The state law requires you to pay a fee for a marriage license. The fees can be various depending on which state you get your license. The difference is even between the regions; each has its fixed license fee. Whether you are a resident or not, also has an impact on the cost.

You know that your license is valid from the moment you get it, and you don’t have to wait. You just need to pay the $25 fee and take it. In New Mexico it is more preferable to pay in cash, but paying with credit cards is also possible.