Tuesday 18 March 2014

You can marry dead people in France!


Since World War I, the French government was allowed what's called posthumous marriage. It started when a few women were married to soldiers that had died a few weeks earlier. In the 1950s, that practice was extended to civilians.
Nowadays, anyone in France can file for posthumous marriage. They have to send a request to the President of France. It makes it's way down the chain. Two requirements must be met: The couple must have had wedding plans originally, and the family of the deceased has to approve. Then, it gets kicked back up to the President. About 75% of cases are approved.
The reason people do this is mostly to legitimize children a woman may have, or for emotional reasons. The law does not permit the living spouse to receive any of the other spouse's money or property. People cannot do this for financial gain.

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