Requirements People Provide Make Marriage Eslpod Legal Permission

Anyone who wants to "wed" (get married) must get a "marriage license" (official, legal permission to marry another person). However, "divorcees" (people whose marriages have officially ended), "widows" (women whose husbands have died), and "widowers" (men whose wives have died) have to deal with some additional requirements.

People who have been married "previously" (in the past) must provide "documentation" (paperwork) to "prove" (demonstrate; make clear) that their earlier marriage has ended. A divorcee must present a "divorce decree" or a "certificate of dissolution of marriage" as these are the official documents that legally end a marriage. A widow or a widower needs to provide his or her original marriage license and the "death certificate" (an official document stating that someone has died) in order to prove that the "spouse" (husband or wife) is no longer alive.

The city or state will review that documentation to make sure that the "ex-spouse" (the man or whom from whom one is divorced) or the "former spouse" (the man or woman who passed away) is no longer alive. Then the city or state will "authorize" (approve; provide permission for) the new marriage license. All of this is done in order to make sure that no one is married to two or more people at the same time.

Sometimes religious organizations have additional requirements for people who want to remarry in a "religious" (associated with a church) ceremony. For example, the Catholic church has "strict" (with a lot of requirements that are not flexible) rules about who may and who may not marry.