Even in countries where the civil marriage ceremony is separate from the Church ceremony, the Church will not celebrate the religious marriage until such time as the bride and groom can produce a marriage certificate from the State. That’s what the law is in France, Germany, Austria, etc. and the Church complies because the law is not unjust.
In the US at least, they have recognized marriages and/or performed a religious ceremony if it occurred in a state which does not require a license to marry. They have realized that a contract is a contract and if it is legally entered into then it is legally recognized.
For the record….common law marriages are recognized as legal by all 50 states; they have no choice. However they can only be created in those states which have not specifically outlawed them by statute (about 11 states left).
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