Florida Free Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Marriage certificates are vital records. Pursuant to the Public Records Law, all state agencies and institutions are accountable for the citizenry. This is tantamount to the notion that vital records are public and are henceforth accessible by any member of the state who wishes to. Should you want to obtain a record of marriage in Florida, be it your own or that of others for the purpose of background checks, you can request access to such records from the Department of Health or from the Circuit Clerk's Office.

The central repository for vital records in the Sunshine State is the Bureau of Vital Statistics which operates under the Department of Health. Marriage records can be acquired from this office. However, marriages recorded prior to 1927 are only available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where you got your marriage permit.

Fortunately, the state's jurisdiction has not implemented any restrictions when demanding for copies of vital records. In accordance with the Public Records Law, all state agencies and institutions are held responsible for the public. This statement, by and large, means that all vital registers, including marriage records, are therefore public and can be accessed by any member of the public who needs such so long as the event took place in the state. When requesting for a marriage record in Florida, an application form must be filled out with all the necessary details. This form can be downloaded online of obtained directly from the agency's office.

It is easy to rout out the needed information when you know the essential details of the event. Knowing when the marriage transpired helps you determine which agency you should pay a visit to. Also, with all the important details on hand, you can organize and maximize your time and you can get the marriage record you need fast. Significant information that you must provide in the request form are the complete names of the couple, the wife's maiden name, date and county of marriage, and the county where the marriage license was provided. You must also provide your personal details as the one requesting the record and the reason of the procurement.

Payment should be through check or money order made payable to the either the Department of Health or to the County Clerk's Office. Each copy of a marriage certificate is $5. If you want to get an extra copy of the same record, you have to pay an additional $4. In case you are not certain as to what year the marriage occurred, you can provide a range of years to be searched. Please take note that for each year searched, you have to pay $2. A maximum of $50 is allowed which means you can go as high as 25 years. Such fees are non-refundable regardless if a record is located or not. For instance, if the marriage record you wish to acquire is not found, a "certified not found" statement will be provided to you. The usual turnaround time for marriage record requests in the state takes 2 to 5 business days once the request is confirmed.

Should you wish to access marriage archives in a fast and expedient way, you can actually do it online and even in the comfort of your own home. Simply search for independent online record providers, do a quick background check on each of them, and hire the services of the one you think is best. Service providers in the web range from free to fee based. However, if you're the kind of person who does not only want to cut cost but also ensure the quality of the results, then you're better off with the one that charges a minimal fee but yield comprehensive and accurate records.




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