sheilaanderson

So my wife and myself both visited the MVC today.

We were rushing and I managed to fail my theory 😀 Forgot to read which drink contributed to DUI failures the most. Seems an important point 😀 still I will return stronger and better prepared.

What was more challenging was my wife went to change her name and they wouldn’t accept her marriage certificate as it didn’t have a seal. It’s the original from Bath earlier this year. Three people were consulted there. She now thinks we need to get married in NJ ! Bear in mind her passport and SSN are in her married name.

Are we missing something simple here ?

I have now coughed up £30 for a legalised copy from Milton Keynes, but don’t see why this lot wouldn’t accept it.

tom169

You don't need to get married again

Rete

Yes, you are missing that the marriage certificate she has is a not the official one with the seal and/or filing marks if such are contained on UK marriage certificates. They are on US ones. Was the certificate the one they give you immediately after the marriage ceremony? If so, then, yes, an astute agent would not have accepted it.

Reminds me of a story about my former employer's sister who from NY, married in Georgia, and 20 years later needed her marriage certificate for something. It was not accepted because there was no seal or filing marks on it. She applied to Georgia for the registered certificate only to find that the Rabbi never filed their marriage certificate. In the eyes of Georgia, they weren't married.

Did you try another MVC in your area. If pounds are like dollars, so it cost you the price of a few coffees at Starbucks.

S Folinsky

Chuckling myself. I don't know Georgia law, but in California, the couple are considered married as soon as the officient has performed the ceremony. However, the documentation is screwed up. There is a procedure for the couple to declare they are married. And if one spouse is a jerk and denies he is married, the other spouse can petition for a judgement of validity of marriage.

BritInParis

There are no such things as filing marks or seals in the UK. You are legally married as soon as you sign the register. The marriage certificate you receive at your wedding is as valid as any other copy. Legalisation is just the FCO conforming that the signature of the registrar is legit, e.g. that the certificate is genuine.

neill

It's NJ.... nuff said. You can't even gas up your own car there

rpjs

The certified copies from the GRO do bear a seal, on the bottom right of the document. They don't feel embossed in any way though.

BritInParis

All certificates issued by the GRO will carry that 'seal'. It's not a seal in the sense that the NJ MVC would recognise.

Rete

They only have to recognize that the marriage certificate has been filed. Assume GRO stands for General Registry Office which indicates that the certificate after the ceremony was filed. The one you get the day of the wedding is not a filed copy and in the US most agencies want a filed copy.

And yes, my boss' sister was legally married just that she did not have proof of that marriage since the Rabbi did not file the marriage license after the ceremony which he had to endorse and file.

The US is big on seals and even my Report of Birth Abroad has to show the Secretary of State's seal/embossment before it could be used as an official document.

BritInParis

Different systems causing confusion.

In the US you'll generally be issued a marriage license by the county clerk with which you can have a wedding ceremony conducted by a celebrant. You then need to go and file that license after the ceremony with your county clerk in order for the marriage to be registered. It's not legal until this is done.

In England and Wales the registrar will be at the service and his or her signature in the marriage register is all that is required to make the marriage valid together with those of the couple and witnesses. The certificate you are given at your wedding is simply a duplicate of what has been entered into the register. If you order a copy of your marriage certificate from the GRO all they will do is provide a copy of what has already been entered into the register. If you marry in a CoE church in the UK then you don't even need a registrar as the vicar is authorised to sign the register in lieu of the registrar.