California Free Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Public records such as birth, death and marriage are important as they contain vital information that can be used by the individual to establish their identity and serve as their supporting document. For those individuals who want to obtain certified copies of marriage in California, they may do so by requesting the records from the Department of Public Health Vital Records Division. Do note that the office issues two types of certified copies - Authorized and Informational certified copies. It is necessary for the person requesting the records to know which one they need.

Authorized copies are copies that only certain individuals can obtain and can be used to establish the identity of the parties named in the certificate. Under the California Law, these individuals are those: that have legal affinity to the registrant including their parents or legal guardians, children and siblings, individuals that were handed with a court order such as an attorney or an agency in compliance to the requirements of the Court, law enforcement agencies who need the document in order to conduct their business, those individual(s) appointed by the court to act on behalf of the registrant and those individuals that are agents of a funeral establishment. For those individuals not mentioned above, they are only entitled to obtain an information copy. Informational copies have the same content but have a legend that indicates that it is not a valid document to establish the person's identity.

To obtain a certified copy from the CDPH office, one must fill up an application form as well as have a sworn statement notarized and included in the request. Payment should also be attached to the request. Fees are as follows: Marriage certificates - $14, Dissolution of marriages copies - $13 and Affidavit to Amend Marriage certificate - $20. Fees for amendments may be waived by the Department in certain instances.

Processing time varies depending on the volume of requests that the office receives. As the Office is under heavy volume request for marriage certificate, processing can exceed six months for marriage records and two months for amendments. Newer marriages can expect faster processing time as the certificates are already imaged. For those who urgently need the copies, they can also request the County Recorder Office for copies of the certificate. Fees for the copies vary from county to county and such, it is important to call or check the site for the updated fee info.

To request for a copy of the marriage certificate, one can go to the CDPH Records Division. The office issues public types of marriage certificate. Confidential marriage certificate copies are only accessible by those registrants or parties named in the certificate and available from the clerk office of the county that issued the certificate. The person requesting the certificate should download the pamphlet or guide from the official site and follow the instructions indicated therein. Include the form and other documents together with a money order or check to the Office. Only checks issued by a US bank or of the USPS are accepted. Those requests that are not complete will be returned. Records with no results will be sent a No Public Records Certificate, as fees are not refundable.

As processing can take quite some time due to the volume that the Office is receiving, another way to obtain marriage and divorce records is by checking the County Recorder's Office as well as the Superior court office. One can also access basic information from the internet, which is another way to obtain records conveniently.




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