Sunday, October 26, 2014

Online Search For Public Marriage Records

By Claire Dowell


Obtaining a license for marriage in New York requires the couple to apply for the said license from the nearest town or city clerk in the state. It will help if they get an application from the town or city clerk of the place where they are going to get married at. The couple must be both present to fill out and sign their application of the license in the presence of the clerk. This means that representatives cannot apply in behalf of the applicants. Not even a special power of attorney or notarized marriage license affidavits can be used to allow others to represent them during the application process. A blood test or premarital examination is not needed in New York.

Once the marriage application is approved and the license issued, the couple has to wait for 24 hours before getting married. This isn't usually an issue because most couples get their marriage approval months before the date of their wedding. However couples may ask the Supreme Court or county court to waive the 24 hour period if they want to be married immediately. If one or both of the spouses are under the age of 16, they need to approach the family court instead for the 24 hour waiver. The license issued is valid up to 60 calendar days or approximately three months. The same regulations apply to same sex marriages.

The costs of getting a marriage license in New York City vary depending on the town or city where the couple applied. You may contact the nearest city clerk for the updated fees. If the application was submitted outside of New York City, the fee is $40. The fee already covers the certificate of marriage registration that will be sent to the applications within 15 calendar days.

You may also obtain marriage records or copies of licenses for other purposes. There are various uses for a marriage document. The document can be used to complete a genealogical tree. Others may use it to prove their relation to certain family members such as in-laws or stepchildren. For legal purposes, it can be used as supporting papers for someone filing a divorce. Some may need it to verify their status as widow or widower to signify that they were once married to the deceased spouse.

The fee in getting a copy of a marriage registration and license is $10 for general purposes. For genealogical purposes, the fees vary depending on the date of the wedding. The fee starts at $22 for weddings within 1 to 3 years. Fees can reach as high as $202 for marriages that took place 90 years ago. For weddings for the years 1996 to present, the documents can be found at the New York City clerk. Weddings within 1930 to 1955, the records are located at the Manhattan office. If you're unsure where to get your records, call the nearest clerk to ask for information. Once you've found the right office and clerk, fill out an application request form and submit it with your fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope so you can have your documents mailed to your home.

It's a good thing that there are websites that offer free marriage records that you can browse. The search tool makes it easier for you to look for a specific wedding than having to sift through possibly thousands of records. You'll find a lot of websites offering the service and they will only charge you if you need a physical document or a certified record.




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