Florida Public Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Records of marriage in Florida are one of the most requested documents of the state. Since Florida is an open state, the residents can easily request for a copy of such file. The office of the Vital Statistics is responsible for keeping such documents.

With the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, residents of Florida have the freedom to request for a copy of any of their personal documents whenever they need it. With this, requesting for marriage records is becoming popular since it became a public document. The most common reason for requesting such document is to use it in updating the family history. The information that can be obtained form a marriage certificate is important in updating the family tree. Another important use of this document is when dealing with government transaction. This document is the proof of one's marital status and identity. Those who are processing insurance and other financial matters in the government may be required to provide a copy of the said file. Another use of marriage records in the state of Florida is to conduct a background check. People would look into the marital records to make sure that the one's they are dating is really single.

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.

There are several ways to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate in Florida. The most common is to file it personally at the office of the Vital Statistics under the Department of Health. Retrieval of a copy of a marriage certificate in the said office would cost only $5. The state office, however, can only release a copy of the document if it was recorded since June 6, 1927. One has to prepare the basic details of the document that is being requested. A request form has to be filled out with the information needed to conduct the search. Also, the personal details of the requesting individual have to be indicated on the file.

The county clerk office where the marriage was registered originally should be able to provide a copy of a marriage certificate especially if it was before June 6, 1927. Processing fees at the county office may be different from another county. A mail request an also be sent to the state office but the results of the search can take a while.

By using the Internet to get a copy of marital records, the need to go to any office has been eliminated and the results can be obtained in just seconds instead of waiting for several days. More and more residents of Florida are using the Internet to gain access to the marriage records even without putting much effort into it.




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