Do You Need a Marriage License To Be Legally Married in Connecticut?

I remember my dad's friends joking around in the 70's & 80's about how they had to find a new place to live, because they were approaching 10 years of living with their girlfriends. Dangerously close to a Common-Law Marriage. I always thought it existed in Connecticut, it does, in a way.

Get our free mobile app

Connecticut does not recognize Common-Law Marriage unless a common-law marriage was entered into a state that does recognize such marriages. If valid, it will be recognized in Connecticut also. You may be all set if you move to Connecticut from:

• Alabama
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah

If you move here from anywhere else, you must obtain a marriage license from the vital records office of the town where the marriage will take place if you are planning on getting married in Connecticut. Once you are married, this license is magically turned into a marriage certificate after it's been filed with the town.

As of October 1, 2010, couples can no longer enter into civil unions in Connecticut, and all existing civil unions have been converted to marriage.

What are the requirements to get married in Connecticut? The blood test isn't required anymore, and you have to be at least 18 years old. But, If you're under 18, you can with written consent from a parent, guardian, or probate court judge. If you're under 16? You will need written consent from a probate court judge.