Is It Legal? Shocking Facts About Illinois Common Law Marriages

I will be celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary in September and I feel like I have been married forever. However, some couples don't go through all that wedding stuff to declare that they are married, but in the state of Illinois is a common law marriage valid?

Common Law Marriages in Illinois

Common Law Marriage is where an unmarried couple presents themselves as married after being together for several years, but are they legal in Illinois?

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The simple answer...NO. The Land of Lincoln does not recognize common law marriage. According to Sterling Lawyers, "common law marriages are not legally valid in Illinois," and have not been valid since the early 1900s. For a marriage to be recognized by the state, a couple may be married by an authorized person who can perform marriages.

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Maybe that's why so many couples have friends and family marry them. I know a few people that were married by friends and have the couple in tears laughing cause the ceremony was about the coip[le. Yes, they had to say what is required, but the ceremonies were some of the best I've attended.