What determines the validity of a marriage entered into in a different state?

The validity of a marriage entered into in a different state is primarily determined by the law of the state where the marriage took place. Each state has its own legal requirements for marriage, which may include aspects such as licensing, age of consent, and other conditions. When assessing whether a marriage is legally valid, courts typically defer to the laws of the jurisdiction in which the marriage was contracted, recognizing that that jurisdiction's legal standards were applied at the time of the marriage.

This principle comes from the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which generally requires states to honor the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states. Therefore, once a marriage is legally performed in one state, other states should recognize its validity, regardless of differing family law statutes.

Other options relate to various aspects of family law but don’t directly address the determination of marriage validity. The law of the state where a couple resides might come into play for residency requirements or divorce proceedings, but it does not negate or validate the marriage itself. Similarly, the law of the state where a couple files for divorce is relevant to the divorce process, and the law of the state where children are born pertains to custody and child support matters, but neither impacts the initial validity