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West Virginia Premarital Education Incentive Program

Purpose and History:

During the 2012 Legislative Session, the West Virginia Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, House Bill 4605 into law. The law went into effect on June 8, 2012.

The purpose of the law is to provide a premarital education option to couples applying for a marriage license in West Virginia, provide for minimum requirements concerning the provision of this education, to encourage marriage applicants to participate in premarital education by increased marriage license fees in its absence and to create a fund for purposes of administering the premarital education.

The law's goal is to help reduce the divorce rate and other marital difficulties by encouraging engaged couples to seek premarital education. A financial incentive is provided to engaged couples to seek premarital education by offering a twenty-dollar ($20) discount off the price of a marriage license.

In order to receive the discount, the couple must present a premarital education course-completion certificate, provided by a qualified premarital education instructor, to the clerk when applying for their marriage license.

Qualifying for the Discount

The premarital education course must meet specific criteria and time frames in order for the couple to qualify for the discount. In order to qualify as a premarital education course, the course must:

be provided by a qualified instructor
be at least four hours in length
be completed within one year immediately preceding the date of the application for the license

Qualified Instructors

In order to qualify for the discount, premarital counseling must be performed by a qualified instructor. By a "qualified instructor," the law specifies one of the following people:

a licensed professional counselor
a licensed marriage and family therapist
a licensed social worker
a licensed psychiatrist
a licensed psychologist
an active member of the clergy or his or her designee who may be, but is not required to be, retired clergy. The designee must be trained in skills-based and research-based marriage preparation curricula for premarital education.

Length of Course Requirement

The total amount of premarital education instruction must equal at least four (4) hours. For example; four 1-hour sessions qualifies as four hours. Eight half-hour sessions would also meet the requirement.

Time-frame Requirement

The four hours of premarital education instruction must be completed within 12 months immediately preceding the application for a marriage license.

For example, if a couple applies for a marriage license on July 1, 2012, the premarital education must have been completed after July 1, 2011.

Form of Certificate of Completion

A Certificate of Completion must be presented to the County Clerk when applying for a marriage license to obtain the discount. The certificate must contain, at a minimum, the following:

Clearly state that it is a "Certificate of Completion of Premarital Education"
State the participant's name or participating couple's names whom have completed premarital education
State that the education was four (4) hours in length
State the date the course was completed
State that the premarital education course was in compliance with all provisions of West Virginia State Code §48-2-701
Be signed by the instructor
State the instructor's name, address.
State licensure number, if the instructor is a licensed health professional
or
State the identification of his or her church or spiritual assembly, if the instructor is a member of the clergy or his or her designee.
State the instructor's qualification (psychiatrist, psychologist, clergy or clergy designee, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, or social worker)

West Virginia Department of
Health and Human Resources

One Davis Square, Suite 100 East
Charleston WV, 25301