American Samoa Marriage Laws § 42.0102 Persons who may perform ceremony.Persons who may perform ceremony.

42.0102 Persons who may perform ceremony. (a) No minister of any Christian religion has authority to solemnize or perform any marriage ceremony without first having registered with the Registrar of Vital Statistics a letter of identity and confirmation of his authority as a minister in the particular church to which he belongs. Any minister performing marriage in violation of this section shall be deemed guilty of an offense against this title. (b) No marriage shall be invalid for a failure by the minister to register such letter of identity and confirmation of authority; if the minister is, in fact, a duly ordained and confirmed member of the clergy of any Christian religion. (c) The following are valid and binding marriages: (1) a marriage performed by a minister of any Christian religion authorized to perform marriages; (2) a marriage performed by an associate judge, or the Associate Justice or the Chief Justice of American Samoa; (3) All marriages solemnized before the enactment of this regulation by any minister of any Christian religion, duly appointed or ordained or reputed to be duly appointed or ordained. (d) No marriage is void by reason only of the same having been celebrated by a person not a duly registered minister if either of the parties to the marriage believed at the time that the person was a duly registered minister.

History: 1961, PL 7-32; 1968, PL 10-52.

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