Are virtual weddings legal in the age of Coronavirus in the US?
Getting married online is now legal in various states of the country in order to prevent large gatherings and the virus from spreading.
Many weddings were cancelled from mid-March until further notice because the United States went on lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic in order to stop the spreading. Shopping, meetings and social events have all moved online during the outbreak.
Last Thursday, the Gov. of New York, Andrew Cuomo made it legal for couples to hold online weddings. So far California, Colorado, Ohio and Wahington have joined the Empire State with this new law called “Project Cupid.”
Under normal circumstances, marriages in the state are only legal if the couple both appear in person at one of five borough offices. Couples being able to tie the knot online during this outbreak is truly good news and comes as a silver-lining for people who have been forced to stay away from each other for several weeks.
The Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio said that he wanted newlyweds to bring "moments of joy" and the city was behind them, from a distance. "We won't let a pandemic get in the way of true love," the mayor said. "To all of the couples looking forward to tying the knot, know that your city is right here with you, throwing rice from afar."
The service went live the first week of May. By the end of next week, couples will be able to schedule and attend virtual appointments with the City Clerk's office, upload the required documents for the marriage license, and upload a signed license for submission after the ceremony.
The site will be available in 11 languages and translators will be available on demand via Language Line. Couples will pay the service fee via CityPay, the city's secure electronic payment service.