Does Illinois restrict some marriages? Are same sex marriages allowed in Illinois?
Certain marriages are prohibited by the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/212). These include same sex marriages; marriages entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties; those between an ancestor and a descendant or between a brother and sister, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption; and those between an uncle and a niece or between an aunt and a nephew. Generally, marriages between cousins of the first degree are prohibited; however, first cousins may marry if — • both parties are 50 years of age or older; or • either party, at the time the couple applies for a marriage license, presents to the county clerk of the county in which the marriage is to take place a certificate signed by a licensed physician stating that the party to the proposed marriage is permanently and irreversibly sterile.
