Does Washington State have common law marriage? No. To have a valid marriage here, you must have a marriage license (state law says this at RCW 26.04.
To form a common law marriage in D.C., parties have to have an express, mutual agreement in words of the present tense, to be permanent partners with the same degree of commitment as the spouses in a ceremonial marriage followed by cohabitation.
In Washington, couples in a qualifying committed intimate relationship have some of the same rights and duties as married couples, including: the right to contract with each other. the duty to support their children (as is true for all parents, married or not)
Washington does not recognize common-law marriages. Even if you have been living together for over ten years or several decades, you do not have the same rights as a legally married couple. Even having children, using identical surnames, and living together will not qualify for a common-law marriage.
Committed intimate relationships in Washington ``Each case is evaluated individually, but generally a couple needs to have lived together for a minimum of 2-3 years and presented/held themselves out to be in a committed intimate relationship.''
State registration: If you are a sole proprietor and make less than $12,000 per year, you likely don't need to register with the state government. However, LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships all need to register with the Washington Secretary of State.
If your employer's health plan doesn't cover employees' spouses, it doesn't have to cover domestic partners. If your employer's plan does cover spouses, it must usually offer registered domestic partners equal coverage if the plan is issued in Washington.
Does Washington State have common law marriage? No. To have a valid marriage here, you must have a marriage license (state law says this at RCW 26.04.