California Marriage Records show marriage license applications and marriages by county, name and date. Public marriage records in California are maintained by the California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records. Confidential marriage records are only available through the particular county office which issued the marriage license while divorce records can only be retrieved through the Superior Court of the county where the divorce decree was passed. Because of the California Public Records Act, all public records in the state are accessible by any member of the public for view and copy.
Websites by government agencies provide adequate marriage records free of charge if you are just looking for general information. The same can be accomplished by searching the database on-site at the respective county offices. However, for formal proceedings, you would need professionally packaged official marriage records. The Office of Vital Records is the authorized department to provide official marriage records in California. It can also release divorce Certificates of Record. For both, there is a fee involved when requesting certified copies.
So, we therefore have the choice of going it ourselves in gathering Marriage Records California or hire professional help to perform the task for us. It's an individual thing and each has its own merits and setbacks. Obviously, marriage records from free Free Public Marriage Records sources save money but their standards inevitably won't match up to those from fee-based ones. Often too, circumstances demand that such information is obtained through certified bodies thus ruling out the DIY (do-it-yourself) option.
Within the state of California, you can view public records at the Public Health office in each county or request them via email or internet. Contact the California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records to obtain the lists of necessary forms and fees for acquiring official copies of both marriages and divorces. But be forewarned - getting marriage records on your own takes some work and waiting time. The California Office of Vital Statistics has a backlog of up to six months. They advocate going directly to the incumbent county offices in person to view and request copies of all types of public records. It is advisable to enquire ahead through telephone as different counties require different forms and fees for this service.
Alternatively, there are companies you can turn to that will aid you to access and view the desired public records in an optimized manner in terms of time and effort. They can also handle the order placement and delivery of certified copies of marriage records on your behalf. Through the support of their infrastructure, manpower and networking, they are able to invariably get the job done in a shorter time than if you go it yourself.
The public records business is demanding and competitive. Industry leaders are highly professional and have extensive experience in getting public records from county offices. In order to survive in the game, they have to charge affordable rates also. They will get the forms, enquire the fees and advise on applicable state laws. Many of them have in-house databases of marriage and divorce records for existing or potential customers, completely circumventing the need to wait on government agencies to produce those records.
There are now an estimated 36 million people in California and records have been kept since 1850. As a result, there are quite a few million California marriage records in existence. Locating the one that you seek precisely can therefore be quite a challenge. It's probably best to engage professional service if time and integrity of information is of the essence.
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Learn how to get a heads-up on any marital status through their California Marriage Records Online. Visit us for tips and information at Marriage License Records .