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I've been living with my boyfriend for two years. My dad said we were already married through common law. Is this true?

2006-06-21 12:22:21 · 4 answers · asked by NaeNaeWords 2 in Family & Relationships Marriage & Divorce

4 answers

Tennessee does not recognize common law marriage as a way to become married in Tennessee.

Tell Dad he's still on the hook to pay for a ceremony- which you SHOULD do to protect yourself in case you become pregnant.

2006-06-21 12:29:41 · answer #1 · answered by R J 7 · 1 1

What is a common law marriage?

In a handful of states (listed below), heterosexual couples can become legally married without a license or ceremony. This type of marriage is called a common law marriage. Contrary to popular belief, a common law marriage is not created when two people simply live together for a certain number of years. In order to have a valid common law marriage, the couple must do all of the following:


live together for a significant period of time (not defined in any state)
hold themselves out as a married couple -- typically this means using the same last name, referring to the other as "my husband" or "my wife," and filing a joint tax return, and
intend to be married.
When a common law marriage exists, the spouses receive the same legal treatment given to formally married couples, including the requirement that they go through a legal divorce to end the marriage

Which states recognize common law marriage?

Common law marriage is recognized only in the following states:

Alabama
Colorado
District of Columbia
Georgia (if created before 1/1/97)
Idaho (if created before 1/1/96)
Iowa
Kansas
Montana
New Hampshire (for inheritance purposes only)
Ohio (if created before 10/10/91)
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania - No longer in PA
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah

2006-06-21 17:18:25 · answer #2 · answered by boomerang3que 4 · 1 0

Common law marriage is actually only "valid" in some states and areas. The common law marriage is that if you are in a relationship with a person (and it has to be a romantic/intimate relationship) and you have lived together for longer than five years you are considered "common law married"...what this means is that if one of the people was to pass away or become ill and did not have any legal will in place their significant other would be legally able to handle matters for them...and that person would also get the belongings. This also goes for when/if that couple seperates--they will need to split things evenly (because in court they will recognize it as a common law marriage, no matter which belongings belong to what person) This law is a good thing for couples that are not heterosexual and for couples that do not believe in legal marriage.

2016-05-20 09:49:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Tennessee doesn't recognize common law marriages, but many other states do. Although, acouple legally married by common law in another state is regarded as married in all states.

2006-06-21 12:36:49 · answer #4 · answered by Miss D 7 · 1 0

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