Marriages that take place outside of Virginia are not valid in the Commonwealth, even if the couple has obtained a legal Virginia marriage license and the ceremony is performed by a person authorized to do so in Virginia.
That's according to a legal opinion issued by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) in May in response to a question from the clerk of the Prince William County court regarding a couple whose marriage ceremony took place in Bethesda.
The opinion is one of six Cuccinelli has issued since May 6, the last time his office posted one of the public documents online. The attorney general's office in recent years has generally provided quick online access to the opinions, written in response to requests from legislators and other state and local officials. The office's Web site indicates that the general practice is put opinions on the Internet within 24 to 48 hours after they are issued.
Cuccinelli spokesman Brian Gottstein said an employee charged with putting the opinions online recently left the office, creating a backlog of opinions not publicized through the Web site. He said the employee has been replaced and the process will improve soon. He provided the six opinions currently missing from the Web site upon request.
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