Changes

*The parties must be of a certain age<ref>This may or may not be the same age as required for a marriage where a civil or religious ceremony is performed; for example in Texas both parties must be 18 to enter into a common-law marriage, but a formal marriage can be entered into if one party is under 18 so long as the person is an emancipated minor.</ref>,

*The parties must be of a certain age<ref>This may or may not be the same age as required for a marriage where a civil or religious ceremony is performed; for example in Texas both parties must be 18 to enter into a common-law marriage, but a formal marriage can be entered into if one party is under 18 so long as the person is an emancipated minor.</ref>,

*The parties must have an agreement to be married,

*The parties must have an agreement to be married,

*The parties must cohabit for a period of time within the state where the common-law marriage takes place<Not all states have this requirement; also, there is no requirement that the couples actually [[sexual intercourse|consummate]] the marriage.</ref>, and

*The parties must cohabit for a period of time within the state where the common-law marriage takes place<ref>Not all states have this requirement; also, there is no requirement that the couples actually [[sexual intercourse|consummate]] the marriage.</ref>, and

*The parties must represent themselves to others as married<ref>This can be done by telling others they are married, opening a joint bank account, or one spouse taking the other's surname.</ref>

*The parties must represent themselves to others as married<ref>This can be done by telling others they are married, opening a joint bank account, or one spouse taking the other's surname.</ref>