A legal marriage that occurs without a license or ceremony when a man and woman live together for a certain period of time and hold themselves out to be husband and wife.
a legal marriage recognized in some jurisdictions and brought about by the cohabitation of a man and a woman (without a civil or ecclesiastical ceremony), generally based upon a mutual agreement to consider themselves married followed by the couple's living together as husband and wife for a legally specified period of time and public recognition of the marriage. (Most jurisdictions no longer allow this type of marriage to be formed, although some may recognize such marriages formed prior to a certain date or formed in a jurisdiction that does permit common-law marria ges.) Those states where it is still recognized: Alabama, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire (posthumously), Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. In Scotland, common law marriage is called "marriage by habit and repute."
a marital union recognized in some jurisdictions as lawful, upon proof of cohabitation and the public "holding out" of the couple as being married
Common law marriage comes about when a man and woman who are free to marry mutually agree to live together as husband and wife without the formal ceremony. The parties must hold themselves out to the public as being married. Common law marriages are invalid in many states.
a common law marriage comes about when a man and woman who are free to marry agree to live together as husband and wife without the formal ceremony. to be common law married, both spouses must have intended to be husband and wife. Maryland does not recognize common law marriages.
a marriage by the express agreement of the parties without a ceremony
a marriage entered into by the parties informally, without a civil or religious ceremony
a marriage that has been entered into by a Contract or Agreement between the parties, but has not been memorialized by ceremony
a marriage that has been formed by the consent of the parties without a formal marriage license
a marriage that is deemed to exist despite the fact that a formal wedding never took place
a marriage where there have been no legal formalities
an agreement between a man and a woman who agree to take each other as husband and wife, and are competent to enter such agreement
a private or informal marriage
a relationship that is created by commitment and agreement to cohabitate rather than by a religious or civil ceremony
a situation where a man and woman have never had a formal wedding ceremony but may be declared husband and wife
a social relationship between a man and a woman that meets all the necessary requisites of a marriage that was not solemnized, performed or witnessed by an official authorized to perform marriages
a valid marriage and to terminate the marriage a proceeding must be commenced in court
A marriage without a license or ceremony in which the couple cohabitated for a minimum number of years (varies from state to state).
In a minority of states, couples may be considered married if they live together for a certain period of time and intend to be husband and wife. In some states all that is required is an intent to be married and the holding out to others that they are married.
a marriage without ceremony, civil or ecclesiastical, which may or may not be recognized as a legal marriage
These no longer exist in Illinois unless they were contracted before 1905. (If this applies to you, you might want to think about just staying married and writing a book about how to keep a marriage going!) Basically, this was a marriage that was created by an agreement to marry followed by cohabitation and the assumption of marital duties and obligations. These are now invalid in many states.
Common law marriage occurs when couples live together as man and wife without a formal legal commitment ceremony. If you live in a state that recognizes common law marriage, you would be considered legally married and required to follow the same divorce proceedings as any other couple. If your state doesnâ€(tm)t recognize common law marriage, divorce proceedings are unnecessary.
A marriage in which a man and woman who have lived together for a certain period of time and who hold themselves to be husband and wife are considered to be married even without a license or a formal ceremony. Only certain states recognize common law marriages. When determining your filing status, you are considered married for the whole year if on the last day of your tax year you and your spouse are living together in a common law marriage that is recognized in the state where you now live or in the state where the common law marriage began.
A marriage where no license or ceremony was involved, only cohabitation.
A marriage in which there has been no formal ceremony or marriage license. A judicially recognized marriage in some states but not allowed in Minnesota.
A judicially-recognized marriage in some states, usually based on cohabitation. Return to List
A type of marriage, recognized in some states, in which couples can become legally married, in the absence of compliance with legal formalities, by living together for a long period of time, holding themselves out as a married couple and intending to be married.
A marriage deemed valid under some state laws which is created by an agreement to marry, followed by cohabitation between two people legally capable of making a marriage contract. Such a marriage requires a mutual agreement to enter into a marriage, cohabitation sufficient to establish the relationship of husband and wife, and an assumption of marital duties and obligations. The cohabitation requirement (e.g., the length of time the two people have to live together under the same roof) and other criteria defining a common law marriage may vary from state to state.
In some states, a type of marriage in which couples can become legally married by living together for a long period of time, representing themselves as a married couple and intending to be married. Contrary to popular belief, the couple must intend to be married and act as though they are for a common law marriage to take effect -- merely living together for a long time won't do it.
Two people agree, live together and hold themselves out to the public as husband and wife, but do not go through a ceremonial marriage.