25 February 2016
 Categories: Law, Blog

Are you a teenager contemplating marriage? If so, you should know that marriage is a legal contract, which needs to be ratified by the state. Therefore, it is not enough that you and your soon-to-be spouse agree; you have to meet some legal requirements first. Here are three things that might be of interest to you:

Proof of Age

State laws determine how old you have to be before you can legally get married. The rules vary widely, for example:

• A few states allow you to get married at any age as long as you have your parent's consent. Examples of such states include Texas and California.
• In the majority of states, you need to be all least 18 years old to get married without your parents consent.
• Some states require a both parental and judiciary (consent from a judge) if you are below a certain age. For example, you will need both judicial and parental consent if you are below the age of 16 and you live in Virginia or Georgia.

In short, put your marriage preparations on hold and confirm that you both satisfy the age requirements in your state.

Blood Tests

A few states require blood tests before you can get married. Those that do test for different diseases; the common ones include venereal (sexually transmitted) diseases, rubella, and genetic (inherited) diseases. Most states waive this requirement for those over the age of 50.

If you test positive for any of the diseases of interest, you may be denied a marriage license. Other states may allow you to proceed as long as both of you are informed of the presence of the disease. It all depends on your state laws.

Restrictions for Relatives

Lastly, you should scrutinize your state laws again if you are related to your prospective spouse. This is necessary because state laws determine whether you can marry a relative. Most of these laws focus on cousins since they are the ones people are most likely to marry.

For example, states such as Iowa and Ohio prohibit marriage between first cousins while Florida and Colorado allow it. Other states attach specific conditions under which first cousins may marry. For example, Arizona will allow you to marry your first cousin is one of you is unable to reproduce.

Therefore, you should not make firm marriage preparations if you haven't considered your state laws. The good news is that there may be exceptions to some of these laws as explained above. Talk to an attorney you are still wondering whether you can get married or not.