California Public Marriage Records

By Christopher Evans


If you are trying to locate files of Marriage in California, look for them at the vital records department of the California Department of Public Health or at the county Recorder's Office approved the marriage license. All marriage files maintained by the Recorder's Office are also sent to the central file repository which is at the vital records department.

Only the County Recorder's Office is authorized to release the certified authorized copies of the records while the vital records department only provides a certified informational copy. The court does not recognize an informational copy as an official document in a court hearing because they are only intended to provide information. Any member of the public has the right to access informational copies but not everyone can get the certified authorized copies. Certified authorized copies are only given to the husband, the wife, their legal representatives, and other individuals or groups that are specified by the court. An informational copy contains vital pieces of information such as the full names of the husband and the wife, their birthdays, the date and place of marriage, and others. There are pieces of information that are not provided to the public because they are considered as confidential.

A marriage will not become official unless there is a marriage license. The license needs to be obtained by the husband and wife simultaneously at the Recorder's Office. The license is good for 90 days only and if no marriage transpires within that period, the current license will become invalid and a new one should be obtained.

The vital records department has a request form available at their office. The form can also be obtained online from their official website. There is a fee of $14 payable by check or money order for every transaction. The form should be submitted personally to the vital records department together with a notarized sworn statement. All the requirements should be provided or else the request will be denied. Usually, there is a 6-month waiting period before search results are returned. The long wait is due to the small number of employees in public offices. If time is a luxury you do not have, you can also get the documents at the country Recorder's Office.

The records can now be obtained online as well through private service providers. There service providers are authorized by the court to disseminate public records, including marriage records, to the public. They maintain a database that is linked with the database of the government so that their records are identical to that of the government's.

There are several sources on the Internet that provide Records of Marriage to the public. If you are not knowledgeable as to which state to begin a search, look for a website that lets you do a nationwide search. Some sources are for free while some impose a certain amount of fee. Both kinds of sources are able to supply the simple details of a marriage file. The difference is that those that impose a certain amount of fee provide a little bit more details. But before anything else, check the credibility of your source by performing a little research about them.




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