The Next Normal: Getting a marriage license during the COVID-19 pandemic

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV/KTRE) - If you’re looking to get married, well even during a pandemic you can do that. But you have to get a license to make it a legal bond. KLTV looked into it to find out what you have to do to take those first steps down the aisle in the Next Normal.

The Gregg County Clerk’s Office has all different types of legal and binding paperwork, including the blissful marriage license, although blissful isn’t on that piece of paper. That’s up to the couple.

As it turns out County Clerk Michelle Gilley was not in the office Friday to talk about changes in getting a marriage license. She took the day off for a wedding. But I caught up with her there where she said now couples needing a marriage license should:

“Call and make an appointment, and that helps two things. That helps minimize the amount of people that come in to my office at one time, and then it also helps on the wait time. If they have an appointment we’ll take care of them right away,” Gilley said.

And as far as changes to the actual process of obtaining a license:

“Everything’s the same,” Gilley said.

And that process is to:

“Fill out every little blank and bring proper ID, and of course $71 cash,” Gilley said

When the shut down first hit the office was open, but locked and they ran with half staff and by appointment only.

“Things kind of changed on a daily basis sometimes with the way we’re running things. But now we’re by appointment in all the departments. And we do have Plexiglas in front of all my clerks to help the public with their safety and my clerks as well. There’s also hand sanitizer at every clerk’s station, and my clerks can wear masks if they want,” Gilley said.

And the same goes with the public. For a while they were only doing marriage licenses a couple hours a day due to reduced staff, but now they do it all day.

“We’re doing the best we can, and I think things are running really well,” Gilley said.

So well in fact, that it’s hard to say how long this will be the Next Normal.

Appointments can be made for marriage licenses, birth certificates and other legal paper work by calling the Gregg County Clerk’s Office during normal business hours.

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