Real ID: Married Women Beware!

[Hikergirl]

But here is the thing in Ohio.

You have your Maiden name on Birth Certificate
You got married. You changed your last name. When you did, you went to SS office and used your Marriage Certificate. (the pretty one with the gold letters)
You have your Married name on SS
You then changed your DL to match new married name. Since you have your SS and DL, Passport follows suit.
You have your Married name on DL
You have your Married name on Passport

Now to get REAL ID, your Marriage Certificate you once used to prove you got married to SS is no longer valid. They don't take the pretty one with gold letters. You now have to contact the county in which you were married and obtain a certified and notarized copy.

The problem lies in the fact the Marriage Certificate the SS office accepted, isn't being accepted by your state. And that's how the frustration snowballs. Especially if you were married in a different state.

I don't have a

But here is the thing in Ohio.

You have your Maiden name on Birth Certificate
You got married. You changed your last name. When you did, you went to SS office and used your Marriage Certificate. (the pretty one with the gold letters)
You have your Married name on SS
You then changed your DL to match new married name. Since you have your SS and DL, Passport follows suit.
You have your Married name on DL
You have your Married name on Passport

Now to get REAL ID, your Marriage Certificate you once used to prove you got married to SS is no longer valid. They don't take the pretty one with gold letters. You now have to contact the county in which you were married and obtain a certified and notarized copy.

The problem lies in the fact the Marriage Certificate the SS office accepted, isn't being accepted by your state. And that's how the frustration snowballs. Especially if you were married in a different state.

So in Ohio you don't get an official copy of your marriage certificate?

 

[3threebabies]

But here is the thing in Ohio.

You have your Maiden name on Birth Certificate
You got married. You changed your last name. When you did, you went to SS office and used your Marriage Certificate. (the pretty one with the gold letters)
You have your Married name on SS
You then changed your DL to match new married name. Since you have your SS and DL, Passport follows suit.
You have your Married name on DL
You have your Married name on Passport

Now to get REAL ID, your Marriage Certificate you once used to prove you got married to SS is no longer valid. They don't take the pretty one with gold letters. You now have to contact the county in which you were married and obtain a certified and notarized copy.

The problem lies in the fact the Marriage Certificate the SS office accepted, isn't being accepted by your state. And that's how the frustration snowballs. Especially if you were married in a different state.

I think you are ok if current passport has married name no matter the marriage certificate used.

I don't have a


So in Ohio you don't get an official copy of your marriage certificate?

I have same question? What did they used to give?

 

[fly girl]

I think you are ok if current passport has married name no matter the marriage certificate used.

I have same question? What did they used to give?

So in Ohio you don't get an official copy of your marriage certificate?

Go up and read the link I posted about Ohio. They have to have paper trail why you changed your name. You have to show proof of marriage.

I got married in PA. It says "Original Copy" on the bottom and has a number, but it is not with any seal/embossment/notarized stamp. Our names are hand written by our priest who married us. SS office took it without hesitation in 2000. I was able to change everything legally using that certificate. I don't know why I need a certified/notarized one now.

What do yours look like?

 

[OhhBother]

You are correct, it is nice for me that I already had a passport and am able to choose to pass on state issued Real ID. It is an unnecessary expense for me and also saves me an extra visit to the DMV. I find it unfortunate for those who have to pay extra for Real ID. I wish all states were like SC and @OhhBother.

As I keep reading more posts, I am honestly shocked that SC was so simple when other states aren't. Usually, our state lags behind in everything.

I do wonder if my situation was helped by the fact we just moved to SC six years ago, so I applied for a driver's license more recently than a lot of people. I really don't remember much about that process. I do know I had to go to the DMV office. I didn't have to take a test or anything. We moved here from Louisiana. Before that, we were in Tennessee.

Anyway, good luck to everyone in this process. It is interesting that there's so much variability.

 

[bcla]

I don't have a


So in Ohio you don't get an official copy of your marriage certificate?

I'd be surprised if that weren't the case.

We got married in at our county clerk's office. We had our license in hand from that county, although it could have been from another county as marriage licenses are valid in any part of the state. When the ceremony was over, the officiant (whose primary job was as a deputy clerk) asked us if we wanted a certified copy of the marriage certificate after she filed it. So that person is on that copy of our marriage certificate as the officiant, the deputy clerk who filed the certificate, and the deputy clerk who certified the copy. We had to hand her a fee though, as the certified copy fee wasn't included with the cost of the license.

If we had been married somewhere else (like a church or maybe at another county clerk), the officiant would have needed to mail or hand deliver the signed certificate to the issuing county clerk, and we would have needed to wait until it was filed before we could order a certified copy of the marriage certificate. But then again, that costs money.

I found the info for Hamilton County (largest city Cincinnati) Probate Court, which issues marriage licenses/certificates there. One regular certified copy is supposed to be mailed to the married couple.

https://www.probatect.org/marriage-license/marriage-licence-process#CertifiedCopies​

Our office automatically mails one certified copy after the license has been completed. The fee for this is initial copy is included in the price of a license. Typically, this is the only copy ever needed by most couples. However, circumstances arise which may warrant additional copies.​

 

[fly girl]

Well, I just looked it up on the county in PA that I was married in.

I definitely have the "plain" certificate. It will not work. It was the only one given to us in 2000 when we were married. It had to be the standard back then, otherwise how was I able to use it to obtain SS, DL, and Passport.

To get the "Triple Seal" certificate, I have to have them search & order for $10.


...I am going to say it. It is stupid. I mean, I can show them my old SS and my married SS cards with the same number. But that isn't good enough. I need to waste my time and $10 -- and I will, but it is ridiculous. And I know I can use my passport. But I want the ease of both. So, I jump the hoops. But with the trail you can easily find on all our government stuff you'd think my first edition marriage certificate would be good enough. NOPE!

 

[Hikergirl]

Go up and read the link I posted about Ohio. They have to have paper trail why you changed your name. You have to show proof of marriage.

I got married in PA. It says "Original Copy" on the bottom and has a number, but it is not with any seal/embossment/notarized stamp. Our names are hand written by our priest who married us. SS office took it without hesitation in 2000. I was able to change everything legally using that certificate. I don't know why I need a certified/notarized one now.

What do yours look like?

I'm not sure if it says Original copy or official copy but it states it is the marriage license and certificate and I'm pretty sure it has the embossed seal of the county on it.
I didn't pay too much attention to it when I took it out so I'm not 100% sure on that.

I also have a separate "marriage certificate" that was issued by the Church, which I think I used to get the legal certificate from the county. It's been 23 years so I'm a little foggy on the details.

 

[bcla]

Go up and read the link I posted about Ohio. They have to have paper trail why you changed your name. You have to show proof of marriage.

I got married in PA. It says "Original Copy" on the bottom and has a number, but it is not with any seal/embossment/notarized stamp. Our names are hand written by our priest who married us. SS office took it without hesitation in 2000. I was able to change everything legally using that certificate. I don't know why I need a certified/notarized one now.

What do yours look like?

There's a lot more scrutiny over vital documents these days. If you want to get a passport, the requirements for a birth certificate as a "primary document" these days absolutely requires something with some sort of seal and a certification statement. Same is needed for the State Dept to issue a name change for a passport, regarding the marriage certificate. Even an "original" document requires some sort of certification statement.

 

[bcla]

Well, I just looked it up on the county in PA that I was married in.

I definitely have the "plain" certificate. It will not work. It was the only one given to us in 2000 when we were married. It had to be the standard back then, otherwise how was I able to use it to obtain SS, DL, and Passport.

To get the "Triple Seal" certificate, I have to have them search & order for $10.


...I am going to say it. It is stupid. I mean, I can show them my old SS and my married SS cards with the same number. But that isn't good enough. I need to waste my time and $10 -- and I will, but it is ridiculous. And I know I can use my passport. But I want the ease of both. So, I jump the hoops. But with the trail you can easily find on all our government stuff you'd think my first edition marriage certificate would be good enough. NOPE!

At least in my state a passport with the name change is sufficient.

 

[fly girl]

I'd be surprised if that weren't the case.

We got married in at our county clerk's office. We had our license in hand from that county, although it could have been from another county as marriage licenses are valid in any part of the state. When the ceremony was over, the officiant (whose primary job was as a deputy clerk) asked us if we wanted a certified copy of the marriage certificate after she filed it. So that person is on that copy of our marriage certificate as the officiant, the deputy clerk who filed the certificate, and the deputy clerk who certified the copy. We had to hand her a fee though, as the certified copy fee wasn't included with the cost of the license.

If we had been married somewhere else (like a church or maybe at another county clerk), the officiant would have needed to mail or hand deliver the signed certificate to the issuing county clerk, and we would have needed to wait until it was filed before we could order a certified copy of the marriage certificate. But then again, that costs money.

I found the info for Hamilton County (largest city Cincinnati) Probate Court, which issues marriage licenses/certificates there. One regular certified copy is supposed to be mailed to the married couple.

https://www.probatect.org/marriage-license/marriage-licence-process#CertifiedCopies​

Our office automatically mails one certified copy after the license has been completed. The fee for this is initial copy is included in the price of a license. Typically, this is the only copy ever needed by most couples. However, circumstances arise which may warrant additional copies.​

I don't know about Ohio Marriage Certificates. I wasn't married here. I was married in PA. And they one they gave us was given by the county, signed by the commissioner and has a number and ORIGINAL COPY on it. But it isn't sealed. We were never asked if we wanted a different copy. This was IT back then. It had to be enough because it was what I used to get my SS changed. (and subsequently my DL and Passport)

Somewhere along the last 19 years it changed. That's fine. But it is a hassle for those of us this happened to at no fault of our own.

There's a lot more scrutiny over vital documents these days. If you want to get a passport, the requirements for a birth certificate as a "primary document" these days absolutely requires something with some sort of seal and a certification statement. Same is needed for the State Dept to issue a name change for a passport, regarding the marriage certificate. Even an "original" document requires some sort of certification statement.

I know there is a lot more scrutiny these days. But as someone who has shown proof of all these things to obtain all the documents I have now it is a pain. I am being penalized for being a woman married before PA triple sealed their marriage certificates. It is what it is.

I would think most can understand why women are irritated when they have all the documents, but the one that used to work now doesn't.

 

[3threebabies]

At least in my state a passport with the name change is sufficient.

@fly girl. This is what I meant before. I am pretty sure your current passport with married name means you will not need to show marriage license to get Real ID. Sorry I was not more clear.

Edited for a semblance of clarity.

 

[Searc]

Go up and read the link I posted about Ohio. They have to have paper trail why you changed your name. You have to show proof of marriage.

I got married in PA. It says "Original Copy" on the bottom and has a number, but it is not with any seal/embossment/notarized stamp. Our names are hand written by our priest who married us. SS office took it without hesitation in 2000. I was able to change everything legally using that certificate. I don't know why I need a certified/notarized one now.

What do yours look like?

The one from the church should say right on it not official copy or something similar. The official copy comes from the county clerk of courts.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Penalized for being female? EVERYone feels penalized , offended, aggravated, frustrated and more for something....
annoyed..I get it, but penalized, I don’t think so lol
Hope it did/will work out for you and All the
Rest of us Maligned females.
Okay.. it’s been a really long day.. no offense meant just a crazy world to me lately.

 

[MumziMom]

And yet another reason I'm so glad that I didn't change my name when we got married! Never been an issue for us, and we've been married 30 years.

 

[fly girl]

@fly girl. This is what I meant before. I am pretty sure your current passport with married name means you will not need to show marriage license to get Real ID. Sorry I was not more clear.

Edited for a semblance of clarity.

In Ohio you have to show why your name changed from BC to SS/Passport/DL. You have to show your marriage certificate.

The one from the church should say right on it not official copy or something similar. The official copy comes from the county clerk of courts.

Mine is not from the church. It is from the county in PA I was married in. However, it is not triple sealed which will not be accepted to show as valid proof of marriage today. It was back in 2000, but not in 2019.

 

[bcla]

I don't know about Ohio Marriage Certificates. I wasn't married here. I was married in PA. And they one they gave us was given by the county, signed by the commissioner and has a number and ORIGINAL COPY on it. But it isn't sealed. We were never asked if we wanted a different copy. This was IT back then. It had to be enough because it was what I used to get my SS changed. (and subsequently my DL and Passport.

I saw the question about Ohio, so that's what I thought was being referenced.

There's a lot of stuff that's changed over the years. I'm kind of a vital records geek for totally trivial reasons. If you're talking PA, they used to have the worst vital records consistency. Certified copies of birth certificates could be issued without the names of the parents, which is no longer considered acceptable by the State Dept. I think marriage licenses are issued by each county though and not the state.

 

[3threebabies]

Go up and read the link I posted about Ohio. They have to have paper trail why you changed your name. You have to show proof of marriage.

I got married in PA. It says "Original Copy" on the bottom and has a number, but it is not with any seal/embossment/notarized stamp. Our names are hand written by our priest who married us. SS office took it without hesitation in 2000. I was able to change everything legally using that certificate. I don't know why I need a certified/notarized one now.

What do yours look like?

My wedding certificate is from the county clerk with raised seal. It does surprise me that current PA notaries no longer use raised seals. I am not sure what they use to combat forgery, but we had a notarized letter in early June. The notary had a official spiel and her number. I saw no apparent watermark or anything similar.

 

[fly girl]

Penalized for being female? EVERYone feels penalized , offended, aggravated, frustrated and more for something....
annoyed..I get it, but penalized, I don’t think so lol
Hope it did/will work out for you and All the
Rest of us Maligned females.
Okay.. it’s been a really long day.. no offense meant just a crazy world to me lately.

Ok, you don't like my semantics. Geez.

And yes, I do feel like I am getting penalized by having to pay $10 extra, and having my time wasted dealing with county clerks office when my old marriage certificate used to be good enough. YMMV, but most people I know do not enjoy dealing with local government offices. Especially when they are 5 hours away!

We will have to agree to disagree on my words.

(edited to add additional proof of being penalized )

 

[3threebabies]

In Ohio you have to show why your name changed from BC to SS/Passport/DL. You have to show your marriage certificate.




Mine is not from the church. It is from the county in PA I was married in. However, it is not triple sealed which will not be accepted to show as valid proof of marriage today. It was back in 2000, but not in 2019.

So far I think you totally win for worst Real ID complaint ever. Your situation is way worse than op’s fictional scenario. I don’t even see an emoji I would like to display my sympathy for you!

 

[Starwind]

I took my birth certificate, I don’t have a passport. I was told I needed the marriage license because my birth certificate has my maiden name on it. May have been that clerk. Who knows? After nearly 8 hours there I didn’t have the energy to argue. It wasn’t important. I was just doing it because it was suggested.

The marriage licence/registration is needed to show the link/legal name change between maiden name and married name. Otherwise there is no way to show that the BC and the other documents don't belong to two different people. The marriage document ties all of them together as belonging to one person.

It can get even more fun when you get divorced and chose to revert back to your maiden name: you get to bring your birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, plus other supporting ID. After going through that to change all my ID back to my maiden name I vowed I was never changing my name again.

SW