Friday, May 9, 2014

California Public Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


California is an open state. This means that records of marriage in California are considered as public documents. Residents of California then have the freedom to access the files anytime that they need the marriage certificate.

California marriage records are one of the sources of information when conducting a genealogy research. It contains information necessary in updating the family history. Transactions in the government would also call for a copy of a marriage certificate. Marriage certificates serve as proof of one's civil status especially when updating the government records and when dealing with insurance matters. The document is also used by people who are checking the marital status of an individual. This is done by people who are in a relationship. They check on their partner's status before engagement or marriage.

A lot of information can be obtained for a copy of a marriage certificate in California. One would know the maiden name of the bride as well as the name of the groom. The date and the place where the marriage took place are also indicated on the record. Additional information includes the names of the couple's parents as well as the witnesses to the event.

Getting a copy of a marriage record can be done at the office of the Department of Health under the Vital Records Section of California. The state office can only release copies of documents which have been registered since 1905 except for marriages that took place from 1987 to 1995. Such records are only available at the office of the county clerk where the marriage has been registered. One would have to pay $14 per request of it was made at the state office. The cost for a county request would vary.

There are things that should be kept in mind when requesting for a copy of a marriage record in California. One has to fill out a request form with the basic details of the document that is being requested. Also, the personal details of the one who requested the document has to be indicated on the form, this will be used to verify their identity since the state only allows the residents to request for their personal files. The immediate families of the bride and the groom are also given access but the others would need to have a special permission to access the files of other people. One can send a mail request addressed to the state office which should include the payment in the form of check or money order. Unfortunately, this is not the fastest method to obtain such document. It may take days or weeks depending on the search.

Residents of California can now retrieve marriage license records online. This means that residents of the state can request for their document even without going to the state office. This has minimized the wait time as well as the effort spent in requesting such document. Some websites even offer their users a free search.




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