By Ben Kingsley


Marriage records are official government documents that verify the marriage between two individuals. As marriage records are timeless similar to birth or death records, these are considered as valuable supporting documents for a number of reasons. One can use the marriage records California to change one's name, prove the legitimacy of a kid and to serve genealogical purposes and others. For those who are interested in obtaining a marriage record in California, it is important that they distinguish whether what they need is an authorized copy or an informational copy of the marriage record. Authorized copies are given to those directly connected with the registrants and can serve as supporting documents whereas an informational copy contains the same information, however it is not valid as a supporting document.

To get a copy of the marriage records, one can check the State's Vital Records division. The office contains marriage indexes ranging from 1949 - 1986 and 1998- 1999. Indexes are not certified copies but contain information where the marriage certificate was issued and the parties in the marriage. For certified copies, one can check out the County Recorder or the Clerk of the County Office. Marriage records are of two types - public and confidential marriage records. Public marriage records are available from the County Recorder's office.

For confidential marriage records, the records are only available from the County Clerk's Office. The two married individuals are the only ones who can get a copy of the confidential marriage record. Each certified copy costs about $14 when one is requesting via the State's Office. Cost for the records from the county differs and as such, one should contact the County for the updated fees.

Under California Health and Safety Code 103526, those who are eligible to obtain authorized and non-confidential marriage records include the following persons: registrants, legal guardians or parents, kids, brothers or sisters, their spouse, law enforcers who need the document in their investigation or report, adoption centers and agents or those who need the documents in behalf of their employment.

To get a copy of the marriage records, one must first download all the forms required and a sworn statement from the CDPH site or the County Clerk. The sworn statement must be notarized, as the request will not be processed if the documents are incomplete. Also, include a payment fee form and the payment in money order or check. All checks must be US drawn. One can also request a money order from the USPS. Please do note that credit card and cash payments are not allowed. Cash sent together with the request will not be reimbursed should it get lost in the mail.

The processing of the request(s) can take up to 6 months because of the high volume of request the office receives every day. For those who urgently need the records, they can contact the County Clerk office or they can also access online vendors that provide such services. Marriage and divorce records are available from online public search portals and this is the fastest way that one can obtain their records without having to visit the county clerk's office.




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