A link that came up in my gmail alerts this morning. Some excerpts from the article:
"The state's new "marriage certificates" take the place of traditional marriage licenses on Thursday. A new state law making a number of changes, Act 2019-340, and passed as SB69, will take effect that day. Under the new law, the probate judge will no longer have to issue a "marriage license." Instead a certificate will be filled out by the couple and turned in to the probate judge for records to be kept by the probate judge and the state. The marriage will "be valid on the date the marriage is executed by both parties," provided the forms are recorded in the Probate Judge's Office "within 30 days of the date of the last party's signature."
Tucker said last week there are actually two forms — one for an adult of 19 years of age or older, and the other is an additional affidavit of consent one parent or guardian of the bride or groom has to sign for their minor children, from ages 16 to 18.
The "Alabama Marriage Certificate" for adults will have to fill in a brief half-page section to give basic information about the bride and groom, including information on parents and previous marriages, if any. Much of the bottom half of the form is room for a notary seal, as the signatures have to be notarized when the groom and bride sign. The affidavit for minors must also be notarized.
The form can be filled out online at alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords, printed and then be signed in front of a notary, he said.
"Both parties fills out their form," he said. "The form will be hosted on the Department of Public Health's website. They will have a fillable PDF form (to be typed in online, using a computer). We'll probably have a link to it so you could do it here. If someone doesn't have access to computers, they can come get the form here to fill out, but they prefer it be typed for legibility because it is a form that is going to be recorded with the state."
Tucker said the official date of the marriage will be the date that the second person — either the groom or bride — signs the document. "If they are both notarized on the same day, that is the date," he said. Tucker said anyone could sign one day and another could sign later. The second signature starts the 30-day clock to turn in the paperwork.
"It has to be sealed (by the notary). It can't just be signed by the notary. It has to be notarized with an impression," he said, pointing to the large section left to include the seal. Two different notaries can be used if need be, one for the groom and one for the bride, and the signatures can be made different days, but a notary has to see the signature being made.
"I would also recommend they highlight the seal if they have got one of the markers to show the impression is there," Tucker said. "When they (photo)copy, it is not going to show up. When we give a copy back, the original is going to go to the state," and the certified copy the Probate Office will give to the party is a photocopy. "I would suggest they put ink on the seal."
Once signed and notarized, the certificate can be turned in by hand or mailed to the Probate Judge's Office. The couple will be charged the same $79 fee as was charged in the past for marriage licenses.
Tucker noted nothing prevents wedding ceremonies from happening in general. In fact, he said that one probate judge at a meeting suggested ministers might want to become public notaries themselves in order to fill out and notarize the forms on the day of the ceremony.
http://mountaineagle.com/stories/tucker-alabama-marriages-to-require-contracts-not-ceremonies,21714
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