IMPORTANT: Applicants must provide their Social Security Number (SSN), and the SSN of their dependent(s) unless a SSN has not been assigned.
Use Section IX, Item 25, Remarks, to explain why a SSN has not been assigned.
TO ADD A SPOUSE TO A VETERAN'S AWARD:
Marriage by Ceremony
VA will require additional evidence* to establish a spouse; if
• you do not reside within a state, territory, or other possession of the United States,
• your entries on the application conflict with other information you provided, and the discrepancies
cannot be resolved through contact with you or a review of other information of record
• information of record raises questions regarding the validity of the marriage, or
• there is an indication of fraud or misrepresentation.
*Additional Evidence:
• Primary evidence of a marriage consists of a copy or abstract of the public record of a marriage, or a copy of the church
record of a marriage, containing sufficient data to identify the
• parties involved,
• date (month, day, and year) and place (city and state, county and state, or city and country) of the marriage, and
• number of prior marriages for each spouse, if not shown on the official record.
• If primary evidence of a marriage is unavailable, a marriage may still be established by submission of the following
evidence in the order of preference shown below;
• an official report from your branch of service regarding a marriage that occurred while you were in service,
• an affidavit of the clergyman or magistrate who officiated in the marriage ceremony,
• a certified copy of the original certificate of marriage,
• affidavits or certified statements signed by two or more witnesses that attended the marriage ceremony, or
• any other secondary evidence that reasonably supports the assertion that a valid marriage occurred.
Note: The process to establish a same sex or transgender marriage is no different than the process to establish a marriage between
the opposite sex.
Establishing a Common-Law Marriage
In some states it is possible to contract a marriage without a ceremony and without registration of the marriage. This type of marriage is
referred to as a common-law marriage.
VA may recognize a common-law marriage that was considered valid in the state in which it took place. A common law marriage
generally requires an agreement between the parties to be married, cohabitation, and holding themselves out to the public as married.
Evidence that must be submitted to claim a common-law marriage:
• VA Form 21-4170 completed by the veteran
• VA Form 21-4170 completed by the veteran's spouse in the common-law marriage
• Two VA Forms 21P-4171, each completed by two different persons that can provide their personal observations
about the parties to the common-law marriage and the relationship that exists/existed between them, and
• Copies of the birth certificates of any children born of the common-law marriage.
Tribal Ceremony
VA may recognize marriages performed in accordance with tribal custom.
To establish a tribal marriage, a claimant must provide all of the following items:
• Affidavits from the parties married by tribal custom that include the name of the tribe, date (month, day, and year) of marriage,
place (city and state, county and state, or city and country) where the marriage ceremony occurred, and name/mailing address of
the person who performed the ceremony.
• Affidavits from at least two people who were present at the time the tribal marriage ceremony took place. The affidavits must
include the name of the tribe, date (month, day, and year) of marriage, place (city and state, county and state, or city and country)
where the marriage ceremony occurred, and name/mailing address of the person who performed the ceremony.
• Affidavit from the person who performed the ceremony, showing the date (month, day, and year) and place (city and state,
county and state, or city and country) where the marriage ceremony occurred, and that person's authority for conducting the
ceremony.
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VA FORM 21-686c, SEP 2018