Since 1971, Nolo's goal has been simple: Make America's legal system accessible to everyone. Our website, books, software, online legal forms and lawyer directory help millions of individuals, businesses and nonprofits solve their legal problems each year.
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:
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.
These are the only states that allow couples to create a common law marriage:
Alabama |
Yes, anyone can do a name change. In theory, most states allow you to legally change your name by usage only -- meaning that you simply start using your new name without any court action, and at no cost.
However, practically speaking, because you don't have a marriage certificate, you will need an official court order changing your name before you'll get government agencies and many private companies, such as banks and title companies, to accept your new name.
Nolo posts updates to the latest versions of books and software when major legal or practical changes occur. To see if your product has had a recent update, search for that book or software and visit its product page.
