§ 19-3-34.Marriage application to be filed; use as evidence; transmission to the state registrar
Chapter 3. Marriage Generally · Article 2. License and Ceremony · Last amended 1997 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-3-34
Plain-English Summary
This section says what happens to the two documents created under Code Section 19-3-33. The application for a marriage license must be filed in the office of the judge of the probate court before the license is issued. It stays in the judge’s permanent files, and it may be used as evidence in any court under the rules of evidence that apply in similar cases.
The application supplement-marriage report is treated differently. Subsection (b) sends it to the state registrar under Code Section 31-10-21. No official or employee of the probate court needs to keep an original or duplicate of it once it has been sent and its transmission and receipt confirmed. While the probate court temporarily holds the report, it is not available for public inspection or copying, and it isn’t admissible in any court of law.
The difference makes sense given what each document contains. The application holds names, birth dates, addresses, and parents’ names. The supplement report adds Social Security numbers and the number of each applicant’s prior marriages. The section shields the supplement report while the probate court holds it; it doesn’t say the application itself is confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my Georgia marriage license application kept?
In the office of the judge of the probate court that received it. The application must be filed there before the license is issued, and it remains in the judge’s permanent files. The separate supplement-marriage report doesn’t stay there; it goes to the state registrar.
Can a marriage license application be used as evidence in court?
Yes. The application may be used as evidence in any court of law under the rules of evidence that apply in similar cases. That can matter when a marriage, its date, or the information the applicants swore to is disputed.
Is the marriage supplement report with my Social Security number public?
Not while the probate court holds it. The supplement report is not available for public inspection or copying, and isn’t admissible in any court, while in the probate court’s temporary custody. The court sends it to the state registrar under Code Section 31-10-21.
Does the probate court keep a copy of the supplement-marriage report?
It doesn’t have to. No original or duplicate needs to be kept by any probate court official or employee beyond the time needed to send it to the state registrar of vital records and confirm that it was sent and received.
Who receives the information in the supplement-marriage report?
The state registrar. The probate court transmits the application supplement-marriage report to the state registrar under Code Section 31-10-21. The report includes each applicant’s full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and the number this marriage would be for each, plus the ceremony date and county.
Amendment History
Laws 1927, p. 224, § 1A; Laws 1997, p. 1592, § 3.
Formerly Code 1933, § 53-203.