The Completion Of Marriage Form, officially titled the Certification of Completion of Qualifying Premarital Education, is a legal document required under Section 19-3-30.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. Couples in Georgia who complete an approved premarital education program use this certificate when applying for their marriage license at the probate court.
Georgia law offers a meaningful incentive for completing premarital education. Couples who present the completed Certification of Completion when applying for a Georgia marriage license receive a $47.50 reduction in the marriage license fee. This makes completing the program both a legal step and a financially beneficial one.
The premarital education program must consist of at least six hours of instruction and must cover all four of the following topic areas:
The educator who administers the premarital course and signs the Completion Of Marriage Form must hold one of the following qualifications:
After both partners complete the required hours of instruction, the licensed professional or clergy member signs the Certification of Completion form in the presence of a notary public. The notarized signature is mandatory for the form to be accepted by the probate court. Without notarization, the form will not qualify a couple for the fee reduction.
Once you obtain the signed and notarized Certification of Completion, you submit it to the county probate court clerk along with your marriage license application. The clerk verifies the document and applies the fee reduction. In some Georgia counties, the clerk may ask the licensed professional to confirm the details in writing.
Couples planning a wedding outside Georgia may need a different certificate. For example, couples in Texas can find the Texas premarital course certificate on FormsPal. You may also want to review a blank marriage certificate to understand what official marriage records look like once the license is issued.
This premarital education requirement reflects Georgia's commitment to supporting healthy marriages. Premarital counseling helps couples develop the skills they need to manage disagreements, communicate openly, and plan their financial futures together before their wedding day.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Form Name | Completion Of Marriage Form |
| Form Length | 2 pages |
| Fillable? | No |
| Fillable fields | 0 |
| Avg. time to fill out | 30 sec |
| Other names | premarital counseling certificate of completion, pre marital counseling completion certificate, georgia premarital counseling certificate, printable marriage counseling certificate template |