A couple recently had some trouble trying to apply for a marriage license when the clerk mistakenly thought they were foreign. According to Gavin Clarkson, he and his then-fiancée Marina were almost denied a marriage license in Washington, DC when the clerk thought New Mexico was a foreign country, asking them for their “foreign passport.”
Clarkson says after he handed the clerk his New Mexico driver’s license as proof of his identity, she apparently denied it and told him “we cannot accept international driver’s licenses.” Even stranger, the clerk had complimented Clarkson’s English fluency rather than his wife’s, who immigrated from Argentina and has a “slight accent.”
After checking with her supervisor two times, the clerk was finally able to confirm that New Mexico is indeed one of the United States. It turns out this is a common problem for residents of the state. In fact, New Mexico Magazine has a regular column, “One of Our 50 is Missing,” dedicated to documenting these types of mishaps.
In the end, Gavin and Marina were issued a marriage license after the brief misunderstanding and tied the knot.
Source: Las Cruces Sun News