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California Marriage Records Free Copy Online

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.

Marriage license records in California are used by the residents for a number of purposes. The document is an important source of information for genealogy research. The information that can be obtained from it is necessary in order to update the family tree. Such document is also necessary when dealing with any legal matters with the government. One would be asked to provide a copy of their marriage certificate when they update their government records as well as process insurance. Those who are in the dating stage of their relationship would refer to the marriage records to verify their partner's status. This can help prevent problems by the time they plan for marriage.

As the name suggest, marriage certificates would contain the basic details of the marriage. One would know the complete names of the bride and the groom. The maiden name of the bride is also indicated on the record. The date and the place where the marriage occurred are also on the public document along with the names of the couple's parents. Additional information includes the names of the witnesses of the marriage.

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.

Instead of waiting for several days, marriage license records can now be requested through the Internet. By doing the request online, one can save time and energy since the request can be done at the comforts of your own home and it would only take a few clicks on the mouse to see the results of the search. One can even take advantage of the free search offered by some websites.




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