Right off the bat, I can save you a little bit of time. If you live in Iowa and get/got married in Iowa...your marriage obviously counts in the Hawkeye State. What about people who live in Iowa but get married in a different state? I currently find myself in this situation.

People get married every day and there are plenty of people who have gotten married in a state that they don't live in. There are destination weddings, elopements, and people who want to get married closer to family members. The list is endless on why you might not get married in Iowa, even though you live here.

One thing is (kind of) certain in America. In order to be legally married, you need a marriage license. Getting a marriage license is pretty easy according to US Birth Certificates. The couple getting married needs to either apply online or visit the county clerk's office, in the county they are getting married in and then apply for the license.

As long as you have your I.D. or driver's license and meet the state's marriage requirements, you should be good to go.

Does Your Marriage Count In Iowa?

Yes. If you live in Iowa and choose to get married in another state, Iowa will recognize the marriage. To be honest, you don't really have to do much to be considered married in Iowa.

According to US Birth Certificates, Iowa is one of 8 states that still recognizes "common law" marriages. A common-law marriage is when a couple lives together for a period of time and basically decides that they are married. You do not need to go through a formal ceremony or get a married license if you don't want to, in the state of Iowa.

Remember when I said you "kind of" needed a marriage license earlier? There are a few states where you don't actually need a license for all of the benefits of being married, and Iowa is one of them.

The requirements for a common-law marriage are: You must live together, you must present intent and agreement to be married, and have a public declaration that the parties are husband and wife.

I was curious about how marriage licenses work because I live in Iowa but will be getting married in Minnesota this September. I wasn't sure if I needed to get the marriage license here and bring it with me or if I needed to get one in Minnesota and bring it back. I was a bit confused about how that process works. It turns out, I technically don't really need one at all in Iowa.

I'm sure my fiance will be perfectly fine with that idea...