Recording Marriages

Where can I find the official policy for recording a civil marriage? If we have members in our ward who are married (civilly, presumably) but their records don't reflect the marriage, what do I need from them?

Is it sufficient to have them simply give me the date and location, or should I be requiring them to provide a marriage certificate? If I need to have a marriage cert, is it sufficient for me to view it, or does the bishop need to approve it?

Matt wrote:Where can I find the official policy for recording a civil marriage? If we have members in our ward who are married (civilly, presumably) but their records don't reflect the marriage, what do I need from them?

Is it sufficient to have them simply give me the date and location, or should I be requiring them to provide a marriage certificate? If I need to have a marriage cert, is it sufficient for me to view it, or does the bishop need to approve it?

MLS Help describes the process of recording the marriage. It says to get a copy of the certificate before proceeding to record the marriage. Getting the certificate is to verify that someone with legal authority to perform the marriage did so. No mention in either MLS or the CHI indicates whether the bishop/branch president must view it.

jdlessley wrote:No mention in either MLS or the CHI indicates whether the bishop/branch president must view it.

The CHI says that the bishop "may" want to review it, but there is no requirement. Usually, in cases such as this, the member and the clerk can work it out. If the clerk updated the record based on a copy of the marriage certificate, there should be no questions.