[longtermmemmory]

don’t forget texas allows for “informal marriage” aka common law marriage.

It specifically forbits informal marriage to anyone under 18.

The law also specifically forbids informal marriage for those who are married formally.

In a non-common law state your position would be legally accurate but in a common law state it would hinge on intent and proof of intent.

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

Can you provide more specifics about common-law marriages in TX? What is required for a common-law marriage? In what way are they different from living together?

[William Tell]

longtermmemmory said: "In a non-common law state your position would be legally accurate but in a common law state it would hinge on intent and proof of intent."

The situation would be even further complicated by the fact that a marriage once recognized in one state, may or may not be recognized in another.

If, for example, a child of 14 is legally married in one state and then moves to another state, does the marriage become invalid? Great Britain is finding itself welcoming the multiple wives of some Muslims, I believe, and yet polygamy for residents isn't necessarily tolerated.

I find myself wondering what happens if a non-Muslim British citizen visits a nation that permits polygamy. Can the citizen then return to Great Britain with multiple spouses? I really think that government needs to get out of the marriage business because I don't think the situation is going to get any better by passing more laws. (DNA testing can help sort out questions of parentage when they become an issue.)

[William Tell]

longtermmemmory said: "It [Texas law] specifically forbids informal marriage to anyone under 18."

By that do you mean that the act is forbidden and can be punished as a crime, or do you mean that regardless of intent, no such marriage can exist and it is not legally recognized?