In Arizona, establishing a conjugal relationship typically requires a proper marriage license and ceremony. Nonetheless, sure states acknowledge a sort of marriage created by means of mutual settlement, cohabitation, and public illustration as husband and spouse, with out the formal authorized course of. This sort of marital union, whereas acknowledged in some jurisdictions, just isn’t validly created inside Arizona’s borders. For instance, if a pair lives collectively in Arizona and holds themselves out to the group as married, however didn’t legally marry in a state the place casual unions are permitted, they don’t seem to be thought-about legally married in Arizona.
The idea of such unions traditionally offered a authorized framework for {couples} to be acknowledged as married in conditions the place formal ceremonies had been troublesome or unimaginable to conduct. Recognition conferred rights and duties associated to property possession, inheritance, and spousal advantages. Arizona’s choice to not acknowledge this type of marriage stems from a coverage desire for formal registration, selling readability and certainty in marital standing. This reduces potential authorized complexities in issues resembling divorce and inheritance.
