Iowa Marriage Laws § 595.4

1. Previous to the issuance of any license to marry, the parties desiring the license shall sign and file a verified application with the county registrar which application either may be mailed to the parties at their request or may be signed by them at the office of the county registrar in the county in which the license is to be issued. The application shall include the social security number of each applicant and shall set forth at least one affidavit of some competent and disinterested person stating the facts as to age and qualification of the parties. Upon the filing of the application for a license to marry, the county registrar shall file the application in a record kept for that purpose and shall take all necessary steps to ensure the confidentiality of the social security number of each applicant. All information included on an application may be provided as mutually agreed upon by the division of records and statistics and the child support recovery unit, including by automated exchange. 2. Upon receipt of a verified application, the county registrar may issue the license which shall not become valid until the expiration of three days after the date of issuance of the license. If the license has not been issued within six months from the date of the application, the application is void. 3. A license to marry may be validated prior to the expiration of three days from the date of issuance of the license in cases of emergency or extraordinary circumstances. An order authorizing the validation of a license may be granted by a judge of the district court under conditions of emergency or extraordinary circumstances upon application of the parties filed with the county registrar. No order may be granted unless the parties have filed an application for a marriage license in a county within the judicial district. An application for an order shall be made on forms furnished by the county registrar at the same time the application for the license to marry is made. After examining the application for the marriage license and issuing the license, the county registrar shall refer the parties to a judge of the district court for action on the application for an order authorizing the validation of a marriage license prior to expiration of three days from the date of issuance of the license. The judge shall, if satisfied as to the existence of an emergency or extraordinary circumstances, grant an order authorizing the validation of a license to marry prior to the expiration of three days from the date of issuance of the license to marry. The county registrar shall validate a license to marry upon presentation by the parties of the order authorizing a license to be validated. A fee of five dollars shall be paid to the county registrar at the time the application for the order is made, which fee is in addition to the fee prescribed by law for the issuance of a marriage license.

85 Acts, ch 67, §54; 91 Acts, ch 116, §5; 95 Acts, ch 124, §14, 26; 97 Acts, ch 175, §234; 98 Acts, ch 1020, §3; 2018 Acts, ch 1041, §127

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