I recently obtained entry in the Foreign Birth Registry. Having done so, some of my first cousins have become interested. Their cases raise some questions about the marriage certificate requirement. Is it really required in all situations? Here's some examples:
- (1) I am a married man. My name did not change when I married. So did I really need to provide that certificate? I did. But I cannot help but wonder if it was necessary since it did nothing to validate my Irish lineage.
- (2) If the applicant is male, and was married, divorced, but never remarried, do the marriage and divorce certificates need to be provided? Essentially, the applicant's surname and marital status are the same as before he was married.
- (3) Similar to the above, If the applicant is female, was married and divorced, then resumed using her birth surname after the divorce, is there a need to provide the marriage certificate (and divorce certificate).
- (4) If the applicant is female, was married, widowed, and remarried, but retained her first husband's surname, does she need to provide both marriage certificates, or just the first which shows her name change?
