Virginia Marriage Laws | § 20-23

Code of Virginia 20-23

Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony.

When a minister of any religious denomination produces before the circuit court of any county or city in the Commonwealth, or before the judge of such court or before the clerk of such court at any time, proof of his ordination and of his being in regular communion with the religious society of which he is a reputed member, or proof that he is commissioned to pastoral ministry or holds a local minister's license and is serving as a regularly appointed pastor in his denomination, such court, or the judge thereof, or the clerk of such court at any time, may make an order authorizing such minister to celebrate the rites of matrimony in the Commonwealth. Any order made under this section may be rescinded at any time by the court or by the judge thereof. No oath shall be required of a minister authorized to celebrate the rites of matrimony, nor shall such minister be considered an officer of the Commonwealth by virtue of such authorization.

Code 1919, §§ 5079, 5080; 1962, c. 362; 1980, c. 154; 1981, c. 295; 2012, c. 565; 2016, c. 611.

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§ 20-14 By whom license to be issued.
§ 20-38.1 Certain marriages prohibited.
§ 20-16 Issuance of marriage licenses and marriage certificates.
§ 20-16.1 Clerk authorized to amend marriage records.
§ 20-25 Persons other than ministers who may perform rites.
§ 20-31.1 When marriage legitimates children; issue of marriages prohibited by law, etc., legitimate.
§ 20-45.1 Void and voidable marriages.
§ 20-39 Prohibition continues notwithstanding dissolution of previous marriage.
§ 20-43 Bigamous marriages void without decree.
§ 20-40 Punishment for violation of such prohibition; leaving Commonwealth to avoid.
§ 20-48 Minimum age of marriage.
§ 20-23 Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony.
§ 20-13.2 Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties.
§ Article I. Bill of Rights Section 15-A. Marriage Fundamental right to marry.
§ 20-13.2 Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties.
§ 20-13 License and solemnization required.
§ 20-15 Tax on license
§ 20-14.1 Duration of license; issuance of additional licenses.
§ 20-20 Clerk to file license and certificate; indexing names of parties; certified copies as evidence.
§ 20-21 Clerk to furnish attorney for the Commonwealth list of licenses not returned by minister.
§ 20-22 Attorney for the Commonwealth to ascertain before circuit court name of minister failing to return certificates.
§ 20-24 Penalty for failure to certify record of marriage.
§ 20-26 Marriage between members of religious society having no minister.
§ 20-28 Penalty for celebrating marriage without license.
§ 20-30 Licenses of persons on federal reservations.
§ 20-31 Belief of parties in lawful marriage validates certain defects.
§ 20-33 Penalty for clerk issuing license contrary to law.
§ 20-37 Validation of certain marriages when license issued by clerk of county court.
§ 20-37.1 Validation of certain marriages solemnized outside of Commonwealth.
§ 32.1-267 Records of marriages; duties of officer issuing marriage license and person officiating at ceremony; blocking of social security number.
§ 20-27 Fee for celebrating marriage.