Old marriage certificate

[AnxietyDisord3r]

So, my wife and I got married in Massachusetts as a same sex couple. Now I will be changing my name and my wife has gotten obsessed with changing our marriage document. Personally, I feel weird about that because it feels like erasing our past and I have no idea why she wants to do this so much. I can't find any material about trans people getting new marriage certificates issued and as far as I can tell it's not legally necessary in the US. I will always have my old name as a fka.

Has anyone else done this?

[FTMax]

Not sure whether or not it is legally necessary, but having it amended would enable you to just use a marriage certificate in the future, instead of having to produce both the marriage certificate and your name change court order in the event that you needed the marriage certificate for something. So legally necessary, no. But ease of access - possibly improved if you amend it.

Though: I looked at the MA website and didn't actually see anything about being able to amend them. So you may want to call and see if it is actually possible. If not, I'd make an extra copy of your name change and attach it to the marriage certificate just in case.

[RomeoEcho]

I live in MA, and called multiple offices to ask and it is not possible to amend a marriage certificate. They said the only thing that could be done was to actually get divorced and remarried, with all the legal crap that entails. They also would not "correct" a marriage certificate issued elsewhere, they would copy information exactly as it was on the original, but could not correct or update the info.

I was investigating because I was going to get married first, and ended up waiting so that ours would be correct. We're actually getting married this week now.

[JoanneB]

I can't see a need for changing it. Even with a "Legal" name change. After all... wouldn't marriage licenses need to be amended or changed after the wedding if the wife takes on the hubbies name?

There is a paper trail associating the name on the certificate to you. If there is a legal need to demonstrate it, there is proof. Unlike other legal documents used for identification purposes of one sort or another there is no pressing need to be able to change a "Certification of Marriage", which is slightly different then the license application that was filled out before hand with your legal names at the time

[AnxietyDisord3r]

I live in MA, and called multiple offices to ask and it is not possible to amend a marriage certificate. They said the only thing that could be done was to actually get divorced and remarried, with all the legal crap that entails. They also would not "correct" a marriage certificate issued elsewhere, they would copy information exactly as it was on the original, but could not correct or update the info.

I was investigating because I was going to get married first, and ended up waiting so that ours would be correct. We're actually getting married this week now.

Well, that answers the question pretty well. No wonder I wasn't seeing info on that.

[KarynMcD]

wouldn't marriage licenses need to be amended or changed after the wedding if the wife takes on the hubbies name?

No, because the name change is mentioned on the certificate and the marriage certificate is the proof of the name change. This is how NY works. It is probably similar in other states.