Marriage Licences

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I have been trying to find my marriage licence for quite some time now. This is a required document for me to file for divorce and for me to legally change my name in the State of Massachusetts. Well, today I finally found my one and only copy of my Report and Certificate of Marriage USFK Form 164, (USFK REG 600-240). I found it in of all places, my DA Form 201 (Military Personnel Records Jacket for you civilians out there.) It is a good thing I found it because for me to get a new certified copy I would have had to send a request to the Seoul City Hall in the Republic of Korea with a certified check or money order for 3,300 Won.

My biggest problem for both my divorce and name change is my wife. I have not seen her in over 12 years and have no idea where she is. I could change my name legally in less time than it would take to get a divorce. The problem here is that as I am still married I would need written permission from my spouse to do so. For me to get divorced, I have to be able to have the Sheriff of the County she lives in serve her the complaint. I, however don't know where she is or if she is even still in the US.

Well, it looks like I need to be setting aside money from my tips as a Bartender to come up with the $165 for the name change and $220 for the divorce.

Comments

Is there a way to get it

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Is there a way to get it summarily declared without her? Surely there must be a legal loophole somewhere in the laws to allow you to get one without her signature given the amount of time you two have been apart and that she is unreachable.

I hope you don't have to include hiring a private investigator to track her down and get the forms signed, you shouldn't have to endure this.

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

In the UK

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Angharad's picture

you could go for divorce on the grounds of separation for over 2 years, or irretrievable breakdown.

Angharad

Google is your friend

Submitted by on

A quick web search brought up this:

http://info.legalzoom.com/divorce-laws-massachusetts-spousal...

Unable to Locate Spouse

It is possible to obtain a divorce in Massachusetts despite being unable to locate a missing spouse. The judge will require the petitioner to prove that he made a diligent effort to locate the other spouse. This may include contacting the local court and requesting publication of the divorce proceeding in the local paper. If the spouse does not respond, the petitioner may continue with a default divorce. If many years have passed since the spouse was last seen or heard from, the court may presume the spouse has died and continue with the divorce proceeding without requiring additional attempts to notify.

You'd need to talk to a local attorney to find out exactly how to go about this; if you're talking beer tip money, a local legal clinic might do it for very little.

This provision would be null and void....

Submitted by on

should the respondent to the divorce proceeding is in the military under the Soldier and Sailors Civil Relief Act.

But the advice is sound, talk to a local attorney to determine what needs to be done in your exact case.

Was Going to Comment

Submitted by on

...with info about how to find people, but after thinking for a bit, and realizing how these things can be abused, I've thought better of it.

I do wish you, however, the best of luck in cutting through the red tape. If you do need to hire someone, with all the resources available to them from the comfort of their desks these days, it really shouldn't cost too much.

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