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Missouri Public Records Search

By Ben Kingsley


Missouri is one of the many states that are considered as an open state. This means that the public records Missouri manages are available for request anytime. The public records are composed of birth, marriage, divorce and death records.

These documents are the source of information when conducting genealogy research. The information that can be found on the public documents of the state of Missouri is used to update the family tree. If such event is not updated or indicated on the family history, it would be difficult of the later generations to track their origin. Aside from that, the documents are also used by the people when they deal with any government transactions. Most processes in government offices would call for any of the public documents. It is used as proof of one's identity or status. Furthermore, the document is also used by those who conduct a background check. They use it as an identity reference in their research.

Each document contains information that is unique to itself. All of the citizens of Missouri are issued a birth certificate when they were born. It contains details about when and where the individual was born. A death certificate is created and given to the immediate relatives of the deceased individual. This would show the cause of the death as well as the date and place where the person passed away. Marriage and divorce certificates are generated upon marriage and separation. This would contain important details about the event.

In order to get a copy of the public records of Missouri, one should know the basic guidelines in doing so. Residents of the state are only allowed tom get a copy of their personal documents. Others would have to secure a permit to gain access to the records of another individual. One has to be able to provide the basic details of the document being requested to proceed with the search. Also the requesting individual has to provide their personal information upon request since it will be used to verify their identity. Corresponding fees has to be paid to proceed and this would vary on the type of request made. It usually does not cost more than $20 per request.

The Vital Records Section at the office of the Department of Health is where all of the state's public documents are being managed. It is where one can request for any of the public documents of the state. The state has kept records of birth and death since 1910, while marriage and divorce certificates have been indexed since 1948. Records before those years are not available at the state office; instead one can obtain it at the county clerk office at the county where the incident has been documented.

All of the public records government of Missouri manages can now be requested through the Internet. Doing the search online has helped speed up the retrieval process. It can be obtained even without going to any office. One simply needs to fill out the online form and the results of the search are displayed on the computer screen in just seconds.




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