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TNC · #1 11-18-2003, 12:56 AM

It looks like the only way a Texas inmate is allowed to be married is by proxy. This is a link to some pretty good proxy information. If you have been married in Texas or have more questions about being married in Texas then please post here.

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72342
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1885
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/sho...ighlight=texas

This link goes over what counties are easier then others.
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/sho...5&page=1&pp=15

This link gives some great official information on TX counties and proxy policy
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94812

Jim · #2 12-23-2003, 06:11 PM

The more I deal with the Texas prison system the more I am struck by its ambiguities, created mostly by pettiness and thirst for revenge. I obtained our marriage license in Bexar County (San Antonio) and a proxy statement to be signed by my wife and notarzied. After some ordeal I got someone in the prison to let me talk to the law library where I learned Texas doesn't permit inmates to notarize anything. No one could say why, or what was the object of such an asanine rule. I had to return to the courthouse where a clerk there told me they had two kinds of proxy statements --- one requiring a notary and the one that did not. Why would anyone have two kinds? I obtained the new proxy statement, sent it to my wife and she signed and returned it. The wedding was performed in Montgomery County (Conroe) but the JP clerk said we couldn't do it because the Bexar County clerk had failed to inscribe the volume and page number on the license that would say where the license was recorded in the clerk's office. A difficult long distance call fixed the problem. The JP signed the certificate and gave it to me. The prison would not accept it for purposes of contact visits because it didn't look official enough. I then had to send my wife our original license provided by the Bexar County clerk. Then the prison said they would not return it to me; they planned to keep it until my wife was paroled. After some whining and begging, my wife got them to send it back to me. Texas does everything it can to make miserable not only the lives of inmates but family as well. I am a sixth generation Texan and was once very proud to be. The way our state government maintains its prison system now makes me deeply ashamed.

christal · #3 12-23-2003, 06:47 PM

It seems as tho TDCJ has struck again. I have a Power Of Attorney from my common-law-husband and they notorized it. Of course this was a few years ago, but what if they need something notorized that has to due with their case? Out of luck I guess.

outlawsdeb · #4 12-23-2003, 06:53 PM

Well now that we have the proxy paper all i have to do is figure out what to do next....any help??? I know I am going to go to Texas to get married....I can't wait!!!

north star · #5 12-23-2003, 08:43 PM

My husband and I were married by proxy in 1989. Then it only needed to be witnessed that he signed it; a notary was not required. The person who was to stand in for him and I went to the Judge, he performed the ceremony and signed off on the certificate. I walked it down the hall to the County Clerk's office to be filed then and there, and had them issue me two certified copies of it ... one for me, and one to send to the prison system. If I remember correctly, it took two weeks to get the computer updated to show I was his spouse, and be able to have contact visits. Ii've no doubt it may be a lot more involved these days since they seemed to have trouble getting me listed properly this time around and almost refused me a visit over it. Of course, I was having none of it and put my foot down. Sometimes you just have to.

Deb ~ I'm not sure what's required of someone who lives out of state to get a marriage license for the State of Texas, but I would be happy to call and find out for you if you would like. Since I am ordained to perform marriages, it would be a good thing for me to know as well. PM if you would like me to let you know what I find out.

tx_tornado · #6 12-24-2003, 09:09 AM

My husband got the proxy papers from the law library.... You can get them at www.co.galveston.tx.us

I went to galveston county proxy papers (not notorized by the way) his birth certificate (certified copy) and my TDL and SS card, and walked out within 10 minutes of arriving with marriage license in tote...-36.00 for the marriage license

Was married 2 weeks later by a wonderful judge in Galveston County - 50.00 did it at his home in a little gazebo...

7 months of marriage----PRICELESS

Couldnt help myself. Galveston County is the easiest county to get married in - So I have expierenced....

Also had a hard time finding a judge who believed prisoners had the right to marry.. I called 7 in Walker County - 10 in Harris, 5-in montgomery and 2 in galveston all REFUSED except this sweet little judge

If you need any more information PM me and Ill be happy to help......

For out of state marriage - they need the same thing as if you lived in the state of TX..... helped a friend of mine do it recently....

Goose Bumps · #7 12-24-2003, 01:12 PM

My wife and I were married One Year ago January 10th. She signed the proxy form sent it to me, I then went with a friend who had done this with his wife no more than a few months prior to us and he basically led me all through the process, he was the proxy also. A little bit odd having a male as proxy for your wife, but it all turned out perfectly and the Unit, Mountain View, accepted the license as official and within two weeks I was listed as her husband on the visitors list. This all took place on a Friday. I am from Michigan and even paid extra for the judge to waive the 72 hour waiting period, because I was from out of state. I called Assistant Warden Nance and asked if I could bring the license right over because we had a special visit approved but non-contact, so we could have a contact visit that next day. She said NO, that it had to come through the regular mail system and that she isn't going to grant me special favors because she would then have to do it for everyone. What a bitch! It wasn't even logical, and Mountain View only has 600 women compared to 1200 and up for larger units. But when I went the next day, Saturday for our visit the CO marked on the visitation paper "Contact", I thought the warden changed her mind and let us have contact anyway. Needless to say we both were ecstatic about our first "contact" visit. I screwed up the first kiss I was so nervous. Well because I am from Michigan it was a two day special visit. I went back the next day and when the same CO processed me through, she didn't write "Contact" on top of tha paper this time. I asked about it. I said I had a contact visit yesterday and I am her husband. She called the warden and lets just say she got into a little bit of trouble for giving us that contact visit the day before. The sargent later came over to us during the visit and told me I knew I wasn't supposed to have a contact visit the day before, that I had even talked to the warden specifically about it, why didn't I say anything about it? Yeah Right!!!! I said that I just figured the warden changed her mind, the sarge gave me a huge eye roll and said "Change HER mind?" I said "No, I didn't say anything, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, would you?" She walked away in a huff!!! So we got one on them for once, it's almost always the other way around with TDCJ, they "F" you once and then ask if they can do it again. Shame on me if I let them do it twice.

3yrs&stillgoing · #8 12-24-2003, 09:46 PM

Tarrant County is easy to get a proxy in as well.. Do not need a notary... Just the proxy paper, his or her Certified Copy of Birth Certicate, DL and ssn card of course the $36 licence fee as well... Then you have a 72 hour waiting period which can be waived in some cases. (even for free).... Then have your proxy stand in and there you go done and all legal...

Jillian · #9 01-16-2004, 12:55 AM

I live in Houston and visit my husband at Mark W Stiles in Beaumont,Tx

johnsbabygirl31 · #10 01-12-2005, 04:44 PM

does it matter if you are in different counties? ex: I am in Collin County and John is in Tyler county I have heard you have to have an absent affadavit ? I am new to all of this so I am learning

TNC · #11 01-12-2005, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsbabygirl31

does it matter if you are in different counties? ex: I am in Collin County and John is in Tyler county I have heard you have to have an absent affadavit ? I am new to all of this so I am learning

Its true that you need a absentee form, but it doenst matter what county you get it from. In fact niether of you even have to live in TX. The only thing is you cant get the form in one county and then do the proxy in another. Once you pick a county then you need to complete the entire process in the same one.

Some counties are easier then others so you may want to check out the "what TX were you married in" thread

anniebob · #12 08-02-2005, 02:58 AM

I was wondering if the "proxy paper" that is referred to is some type of special form? I'm new to all of this and need a lil help. my man and I want to get married by proxy but the whole process confuses the crap out of me. There are way to many signatures and forms needed and I don't want to have to repeat the process! Can anyone give me any advice?

vanilla_flayme · #13 08-02-2005, 06:22 AM

Yes it is a form that he will have to fill out. I have a copy of it at home on my hard drive if you would like to take a look or even copy it off. Someone sent it to me and that is what I used in Johnson County (Galveston and Johnson are typically the easiest to get your license from). I filled out the form completely, sent it to him, he signed it and sent it back. I drove to Johnson County, I live in Dallas so it was a 45 minute drive, let the lady type up the license, gave her 41 bucks, and then waited two weeks paid the Justice of the Peace in Wichita Falls 30 bucks and she performed a ceremony. It was beautiful. Some JP's don't do ceremonies for proxies, but Judge Sons in Wichita County is WONDERFUL! She is a super caring and sweet lady. I got to say my vows and my sister said his. I had bridesmaids and my mom gave me away...the whole 9 yards! It was that easy. He didn't have to have an ID, he didn't have to even have his SS# on the paper because he forgot to put it on there. PM me if you want a copy of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anniebob

I was wondering if the "proxy paper" that is referred to is some type of special form? I'm new to all of this and need a lil help. my man and I want to get married by proxy but the whole process confuses the crap out of me. There are way to many signatures and forms needed and I don't want to have to repeat the process! Can anyone give me any advice?

Gemini4lif · #14 08-02-2005, 06:59 AM

Here is the step by step process I went through to get married by proxy in Texas...

First off I had to obtain my husbands birth certificate which I did online by going to http://www.vitalcheck.com

Then I sent him the paperwork he had to get notarized for us to get married. I went through Harris County in Houston, TX and their form is located here: http://www.cclerk.hctx.net/DLFORMS/d0241.pdf

*Most of the forms in each county ask the same information, but you should call and check to make sure there isnt anything additional that is missing from the form you have printed...also check to make sure the birth certificate is all you will need as some county's request birth certificate and driver license*

The instructions for the form are here: http://www.cclerk.hctx.net/DLFORMS/d0240.pdf

You can obtain your license in any county and get married anywhere in Texas. I obtained my license in Houston, but got married by proxy in Dallas. You will need to send this form to your fiancee to be filled out and notarized, be VERY careful with this as you need to know when you plan to get married because the affidavit is only valid for THIRTY days after being signed and notarized. If it falls after the 30 days, they will not allow you to obtain your license.

Once I got the notarized affidavit back, I booked my flight to Texas! When you file for your marriage license, they give you the license then and there, but the marriage can't be performed for 72 hrs. After receiving the license, I got the yellow pages out and started calling local ministers to see if any would perform my ceremony for you. I found a nice Minister named Paul Nichols who performed the ceremony for $100. You might be able to find someone to do it for less, but most that I called were between $90-150. He came and performed the ceremony at my sisters house (*some will have you come to them*), signed the license and I mailed it back to Harris County to be recorded. It takes about 6-8 weeks before you get your recorded license back in the mail.

Here is a FAQ for marriage licenses in Texas:

http://www.cclerk.hctx.net/PersonalRec/faq.htm#Q4

sreed · #15 09-15-2005, 03:11 PM

My fiance is in Witchita County and I am in Bexar County. We would like to get married so that we will finally be able to have contact visits. Which he is going to be eligible for in November...Please help with any info that you Email removed per PTO policy

trishanalbert · #16 09-21-2005, 06:50 PM

can you get contact visit after you get married in texas if inmate is not in GP and will never be back in GP........

mz_delacruz · #17 02-02-2006, 02:50 PM

my huney is located out of Hughes Unit in Gatesville and I am in the process of getting the papers filled out. The only thing i'm having problems on is the notarized part. From what he told me that there isn't anyone there who can notorize the papers... How do I go about getting that taken care of to make everything official?

jessnkat · #18 02-02-2006, 03:11 PM

mz delacruz - just sent you a pm

mi amor · #19 02-03-2006, 10:11 PM

I noticed that most of the posts in this thread are a little OLD...so I was just wondering if anything has changed since then?? My boyfriend wants to be married while he is away, but I am so clueless on HOW to do this in Tx. (I am in Houston)
Right now he is in Montgomery County waiting to catch chain.
What happens if he gets moved while I am in the process of getting married, will the county on the paper he sent me matter? He sent me this paper he got from law library that says "DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF PROXY"
What else do I need? And about how much does this usually cost?? How long do I have to wait?? And what do you mean there are some judges that wont marry you while in jail???? I called the courthouse by my house, but she would not give me an accurate price on how much the judge charges to marry you, because I would not set a date.
I need more info before I go off setting wedding dates....Plus I am low on cash right now so I want to do this the quickest/cheapest way possible. I was aiming for Valentines day this yr, but I doubt that will happen now.

Any help please????

mi amor · #20 02-07-2006, 12:38 PM

anyone?

Gemini4lif · #21 02-07-2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mi amor

I noticed that most of the posts in this thread are a little OLD...so I was just wondering if anything has changed since then??

What happens if he gets moved while I am in the process of getting married, will the county on the paper he sent me matter? He sent me this paper he got from law library that says "DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF PROXY"

What else do I need? You will need the declaration - not sure about ID, I didnt need my husbands, but that might have changed since we got married almost 2 years ago.
And about how much does this usually cost?? It cost $41

How long do I have to wait?? There is a 72 hr waiting period before you can get married
And what do you mean there are some judges that wont marry you while in jail???? You might have to call around to a few ministers, if you need a name PM me and I can give you the one that married me...but he is in Dallas - he charged me $100 and came to me

Any help please????

I think I have posted to this thread before but here is the link of all I went through to get married by proxy in Houston: http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/sho...ighlight=proxy

jessnkat · #22 02-15-2006, 03:40 PM

mi amor - the JP or judges set their own fees for perform the proxy marriage, the courthouse has nothing to do with that. They can tell you how much it will cost for the marriage license and that's it.

Each county is different in what they require in terms of ID and how much they charge for the license. Once you get the license it can be used anywhere in the US.

I got married in Fort Bend County (southwest of Houston -just a bit) by a very nice lady judge - PM me if you want her name and contact info. Fort Bend was also pretty nice to deal with on the license - I can give you a contact there too if you are interested.

If there is a county on the form he sent you, then it might be good only in that county. There is a generic form on the Galveston County Clerk's website that you can print and sent him - that way you can fill in the county that you will be applying for the license in. Click here for the TDCJ Absentee Form.

I'll try to help all I can, as I've done alot of research on proxy marriages lately - just ask away or send me a pm.

Good Luck!!

Goldyloxn4bears · #23 02-17-2006, 10:10 PM

Thank You Gemini4Lif for the step by step, I needed it!

Goldyloxn4bears · #24 02-17-2006, 10:10 PM

I'm going to send him a copy tonight!

agspunkygirl · #25 04-11-2006, 05:57 PM

Here is what I know about getting married by Proxy in Texas.... I just did this so I should know....The prison will tell the inmate to fill out an Application for an Absent Applicant.... Then they are supposed to get it notarized in the prison. However it is my understanding that many units DO NOT do notorizations. So what needs to happen is the inmate will need to draft an Affidavit of Absent Applicant AND and Unsworn Declaration. THey can go on one sheet of paper and found in the Law books. After that you take that peice of paper along with the birth certificate or some form of ID and your ID to the county clerks office. The Unsworn Declaration does not have to be notorized and is a legal document that can be used to obtain a marriage license....