No, you do not have to file jointly. You can choose to file as Married filing jointly or married filing separately.
Depending on whether or not you each take any type of credits or the student loan interest deduction, you may not be able to claim them when filing separately.
If you have a simple return with just your W-2's and no credits then filing separately will not make a difference in the end.
You do not need to prove that you got married.
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