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Public Marriage Records Accessible To The Public

By Claire Dowell


Florida is considered as an open state in the US. The documentation of marriage in Florida is being managed by the state's Vital Statistics office. Such document is among the most accessed file in the state.

The freedom of Information Act has mandated the government of each state to allow its local residents the freedom to access their personal files. Marriage certificates or records are one of the documents that have been opened to the public. Genealogy is one of the primary uses of this document. It has information that is vital n updating the family tree. Such document is used in government transactions. It serves as a proof of one's identity and marital status. Transactions that involve the couple such as insurance and other financial matters may call for a copy of a marriage certificate. In some cases, marriage records are also used as reference when verifying the marital status of an individual. This is common with people who are in the dating stage of their relationship. They do this to make sure that they are dating an unattached individual.

Traditionally marriage certificates only contain the names of the bride and the groom as well as the date and the place when they got married. The information that can be found on a marriage certificate has evolved. Now, the maiden name of the bride is shown along with the groom's full name. Details of the marriage still include the date and the place where the marriage took place but additional information such as the names of the couple's parents as well as the witnesses are indicated on the document. Some personal information of the couple is also indicated on the document like the birth details, occupation and address.

Requesting for a copy of the marriage certificate in the state of Florida can be done by personally visiting the office of the Department of Health at the Vital Statistics Section. A $5 processing fee has to be paid in order to conduct the search. Only marriages that have been registered since June 6, 1927 can be obtained from the state office. A request form has to be filled out with the basic details of the file that is being requested as well as the contact details of the one who filed the request.

Records before the given year have to be obtained at the county clerk office. Fees may not be the same for each county but all of the requirements of the state are basically the same. Another way to obtain it is by sending a mail request to the state office. But it may take several days before the requested file can be obtained. The fastest method is to request it through the Internet.

The Internet has allowed the retrieval of marital records in Florida a breeze. By doing the search online, one can save time and energy in filing the request since it can be dine even at the comforts of your own home. Many residents of Florida prefer to conduct the search online because of this reason.




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