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House GOP passes sweeping anti-voting bill that could disenfranchise millions, sends measure to Senate
(www.democracydocket.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026
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We got married in the Caribbean, over 30 years ago. We can't find our marriage certificate. I have no idea where it went, but it has never turned up in several moves.
We have requested a copy several times over the last decade or so, have sent letters with the fee (only about $10), but it is always ignored, or we get a letter back saying that the payment was wrong, or in the wrong currency, etc. We have followed their shifting rules to the letter, we've spent over $100 so far, and we still don't have a copy. As a result, my wife's driver's license has expired, and she can't get a Real ID.
This legislation targets her specifically.
Could you get married again in the states?
In effect, from a documentation standpoint you're not married. Might be the easiest solution to go to the courthouse and fill out bullshit paperwork to get documentation that you're married.
We've thought of that, but we haven't pulled that trigger yet. Frankly, this could be the cheapest divorce ever, if we, or one of us, wants to go that route.
Seriously, if we did get officially married in America, what would that mean for the last 30+ years of our marriage? Did we commit numerous cases of fraud by claiming to be married on financial documents, for instance? Mortgages, car loans, income taxes, etc ?
Is getting officially remarried even legal? I know people renew their vows, but that's ceremonial (and dumb), not legal.
But her maiden name is still valid and presumably matches the one on her birth certificate? There's no legal requirement to change your name for either marriage or divorce, as far as I know, and latitude is wide in terms of hyphenation, etc. You may have more options than you know.
Also, the question of "fraud" only really matters when bills don't get paid, and now for voting. If you have other evidence of your marriage (pics, invites, announcements, etc) from that time, you can easily prove that your intent was not fraudulent. I wouldn't sweat that part of it too much yet.
But if I were in your shoes (and I'm not, so take it with a grain) my next step would be to get a free consult with a family attorney in your state, as they're the lawyers that deal with name changes the most, and get the real picture of what's actually legal and possible for you in the state where you live. You could also run the fraud question by him/her, if it's still an issue.
Great advice, my thanks.
In much of the US, living together and presenting yourself as married over a period of years means you're actually married.
Yeah, common law marriage isn't an acceptable form of identification for Real ID.
Those laws have been going away in the 21st century, they're relics of a time when the government didn't have great records of things like marriage
I didn't consider the fraud route. You might need to consult an attorney or consider consulting an attorney in the Caribbean to have them get a copy of your marriage certificate.