how old do you have to be to marry if you've been datin' for 4 years?

Question

exactly like the question is. if your gunna be 16 or 17 and you've been datin' for longer than 4 to 5 years. and you want to marry each other.

Answer 1

18

Answer 2

Girl, if I can offer you one piece of advice, when you are 16 or 17 you have no idea whatsoever what life is about. Do you really want to decide whom you are going to spend the rest of your days with? I know, kids tend to always think "a couple of years ago I was still small, but now I've grown up, and know what I want". Believe me, in a year, you'll look at your 17 year-old self as a little kid again, and this will go on and on until you really grow up. It's hard to say at what age you are really an adult, but I would say at least you should know what you want to do, know how to take care of yourself and someone else, and be able to take care of yourself and someone else. I can almost certainly tell you that's not when you are 16 or 17, regardless of how long you've been "dating" (whatever you mean by that) someone.

Just an interesting note: in my country, you can get married freely after 18, or with parental consent after 16, but in any case, you must apply at least 3 months in advance, personally (both people have to be present). This assures that you don't get married to someone you met the same morning, and reduces the workload of the divorce attorney.

Answer 3

In most states the law says 18 or 17 if you have parental consent. I would still wait though. I started dating my fiance when i was 17 and we will have been together 7 years the day we get married. We have changed a lot since then and living through those changes and still loving each other is what made us believe that when we do get married, it WILL last forever. You both have tons of life left, live it! Enjoy each other, take your time and when the time is right go for it!

Answer 4

Dang you started dating way too early.

You really need to wait until you are out of high school for at least a year. Make sure you have your feet on the ground in the real world. Life is much different after high school Marriage is tough and right now you have other things to worry about.

Think about this. You are both minors, so neither of you can work a full time job. So where are you going to live? With you parents, then you are still children in their home. It is best to have your own place- But can you afford a place on what you make on a part time income at minimum wage? Probably not. Also you will need a car- can you afford that? remember that at your age Minimum wage is what you will make.

Right now you can come and go- Your friends call you and say lets go to the mall- and you go. You are free to spend your money how ever you want. That changes when you are married. You have to be respectful of the other person and for a successful marriage to work, you should not always juts Hang out with the girls or the guys. You will suddenly have to stop thinking of just yourself and start thinking of your spouse- are you ready for that. You know like when you see that really cute top that you just have to have, right now, you can get it. If you are married and your husband needs new shoes, then maybe you can't because remember you work part time minimum wage jobs.

Not to mention the emotional side of things. Marriage changes your life in ways you can't imagine. Most ways are good, but you have to grow up and stop being a kid. Are you ready for that? Really right now you should be a kid- enjoy high school. Wait for a year or two after and if you still feel the same way, then get married things will be different then. You will be able to get jobs that pay better and work full time.

Really it is not going to be as much fun as you expect. I am a big advocate of marriage when you are an adult, but for right now- be a kid don't grow up any faster than you have to. You Can never get your childhood back.

Answer 5

There's no legal precedent for taking into account the length of the relationship in order to get married...In the USA, you need to be 18 to get married, period. You can even marry someone you've only known for one minute if you want, if you are both 18.

Even emancipated minors can't get married on their own, any more than they can drive a car before the age of 16. If you are only 14, the state will not give you a drivers license, no matter how well you know how to operate a car or how many years you've practiced driving before that.

Answer 6

It doesn't matter how long you've been together. State law dictates how old you have to be, so look up the legal age to marry for your state. Most states say age 18 without parental consent, but if your parents sign off, giving you permission, then most states let you a couple of years earlier. For example, in Illinois it's 18 to marry without parental consent and 16 to get married with your parents' (all legal guardians') permission. But why would you want to get married at 16 or 17 anyway?

Answer 7

If you guys are going to be 16 or 17 I think is still to young to get married even if you have been together for 4 years. You guys have to be financial secure and stable, have a strong relationship and communication with eachother, and you both know what goes in a marriage. There is really no rush into getting married. You both might think you know your boyfriend/girlfriend because you have been together for 4 years, but your still young and there is a lot more to learn and grow as you get older. If you want the marriage to last you should wait a little longer. Time goes by so fast so waiting a couple more years won't hurt. It might actual be good for you both. My fiance and I have been together for 9 years and are going to get married in april. We have waited so long because we wanted to do it right adn wait until he graduates from college.

Answer 8

I don't think it matters how long you've been dating, I think anything younger than 18 is ridiculous. You've not had time to live, to get out and go to college, to see the world. You've not had a chance to deal with adult situations, money issues, or real life problems. I'd say wait a few more years, until you're 18, by then you should realize that you do want to spend the rest of your life with him, or maybe you won't.

Answer 9

It doesn't matter how long you've been together. If you're under the age of 18, you can only get married with written parental consent [and there are a lot of other restrictions as well]. Once you're 18, you can get married regardless of whether you've been together ten years or a day.

Answer 10

You need to be over 18. Just b/c you have been dating for 4 years, does not mean you are ready to get married. You are too young. If you were 26 and dating for 4 years; then by all means you are probably ready.

At 18, you are not ready. You should go to college or at least community college. If college isn't your thing, go to a trade school or learn a skill. Don't get married without some sort of post-college education.