[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Answer","name":"Answer Question","text":"Many people believe that if two people live together in a relationship for seven years, the law will automatically recognize them as legally married even if they have not had a wedding ceremony or filed any legal paperwork (marriage license, for example). While the timeline may not be so precise, many states extend legal marriage rights to cohabiting couples after a certain number of years. This recognition results in what is known as common law marriage.  The process of recognizing common law marriages varies from state to state. In some states, the process is effectively automatic. However, each common law spouse must be of sound mind and legally old enough to marry.","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Answer","name":"Answer Question1","text":"The United States Constitution requires each state to give \"full faith and credit\" to any court order from another state within the union. If a couple has achieved common law status in a state that allows it, Arizona will recognize them as legally married. Each partner will have the same legal rights as all married couples if one partner dies or if they decide to bring their relationship to an end.","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer1"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Answer","name":"Answer Question2","text":"Arizona is a community property state. However, the community property division only applies to assets acquired during a legal marriage. Because unmarried cohabitation does not create a marital estate in Arizona, community property principles do not apply when unmarried couples separate.  Instead, all property acquired by either party before or during the relationship is considered separate property belonging solely to the person who acquired it. There is no community estate to split upon separation. The courts have no authority to divide separate property between unmarried couples.  However, unmarried couples can enter into contractual agreements like a cohabitation agreement to specify property division. Without such contracts, the separate property belongs entirely to its owner when the couple splits.","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer2"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Answer","name":"Answer Question3","text":"If a couple has a valid common law marriage in one of the states that allow this marital status, Arizona courts will recognize their union as legally equivalent to other marriages. In that case, the laws of community property will apply.","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer3"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Answer","name":"Answer Question4","text":"If an unmarried couple purchased a home together, the court will examine the paperwork to determine how the couple took title to the property. If the deed names both partners as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, each person has an equal stake in the property. Upon a split, the court would likely order the home to be sold and the proceeds divided evenly.  If only one partner's name appears on the mortgage and deed, that person is considered the home's legal owner. The partner whose name is not on the paperwork would need to argue that they made financial contributions that gave them an equitable interest in the property. The non-owner would likely receive a lesser share of the home's value after a split.","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer4"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What Is a Common Law Marriage?","acceptedAnswer":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Question"},{"@type":"Question","name":"Do Community Property Rights Apply to Unmarried Couples in Arizona?","acceptedAnswer":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer2"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Question2"},{"@type":"Question","name":"Does Community Property Apply If the Couple Had a Common Law Marriage from Another State and Then Moved to Arizona?","acceptedAnswer":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer3"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Question3"},{"@type":"Question","name":"Who Gets the House If an Unmarried Couple Splits Up?","acceptedAnswer":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Answer4"},"@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#Question4"}],"name":"Does Arizona recognize common law marriage","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#FAQPage"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Does Arizona recognize common law marriage","item":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/does-arizona-recognize-common-law-marriage\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]