Florida Free Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Marriage is one of the most significant events in a person's life. Proof of this life-long commitment is the marriage certificate which is a licit record officially stating that two people agreed to be lifetime partners. Like any other vital records, a marriage certificate is an important document. This can be very useful in various ways. One of which is when scrutinizing an individual's background specifically the marital status. Although the most heavily counted on in background checks are criminal records, a marriage record can be utilized as well. A document of marriage indicates significant information about the person in question. A record of marriage in Florida can be acquired from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Department of Health or from the County Clerk's Office.

In the Sunshine State, all vital records are housed in the Bureau of Vital Statistics. This division functions under the Florida Department of Health. Records of marriages that date back from 1927 to present can be obtained from this office. However, those that were recorded prior to 1927 are only accessible from the Office of the County Clerk where the marriage license was issued.

In requesting for a copy of a marriage certificate in Florida, all you have to do is just secure an application form and fill it out with the significant details asked. You can download the form online or get it from the Department of Health or the County Clerk's Office directly. This flow should be followed for the record request to be processed. The usual processing time for marriage record requests takes approximately 2 to 5 business days. This estimated turnaround time may occasionally increase depending on the volume of requests such agencies are receiving.

Requirements needed in the procurement are the significant details of the marriage such as the full names of both the husband and the wife, the wife's maiden name, the date and location they tied the knot, and the county where the permit to marry was issued. As the requestor, you must also provide your complete name, address, contact number, your relationship to any of the individuals named on the record, and the reason for your request.

Payment should be through check or money order made payable to the either the Department of Health or to the County Clerk's Office. Each copy of a marriage certificate is $5. If you want to get an extra copy of the same record, you have to pay an additional $4. In case you are not certain as to what year the marriage occurred, you can provide a range of years to be searched. Please take note that for each year searched, you have to pay $2. A maximum of $50 is allowed which means you can go as high as 25 years. Such fees are non-refundable regardless if a record is located or not. For instance, if the marriage record you wish to acquire is not found, a "certified not found" statement will be provided to you. The usual turnaround time for marriage record requests in the state takes 2 to 5 business days once the request is confirmed.

Should you wish to access marriage archives in a fast and expedient way, you can actually do it online and even in the comfort of your own home. Simply search for independent online record providers, do a quick background check on each of them, and hire the services of the one you think is best. Service providers in the web range from free to fee based. However, if you're the kind of person who does not only want to cut cost but also ensure the quality of the results, then you're better off with the one that charges a minimal fee but yield comprehensive and accurate records.




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