Grabbing Free Marriage Records Via The Internet

By Claire Dowell


Marriage is an important milestone in a person's life as it creates new and more demanding roles. It will be a lifetime responsibility that demands utmost commitment and loyalty. Its multiple implications in some aspects of the society are the reason these vital events are methodically archived in duly appointed storage places.

The presence of a marriage license or certificate means that a couple's marital vows have been legalized. Such document entitles them to assume new legal obligations as a married couple. A marriage certificate usually contains details such as who married who, the date and the place the marriage took place, the officiating body, and all witnesses. Marriage licenses are normally signed by the couple and the one who married them after the marriage ceremony. These documents are then filed by the officiating authority for the couple. As public documents, marriage records have many uses. For instance, it is a requirement to change one's name, conduct genealogy studies, divorce proceedings, and protect adulterous, minor and incestuous unions, besides other purposes.

Different states in the U.S. appoint different agencies to maintain, distribute, file, change and protect marriage archives. In the state of Wisconsin, this daunting task is assumed by the Wisconsin Vital Records Services, an office working under the shadow of the State Department of Health Services.

The Wisconsin Vital Records office issues two types of Wisconsin Marriage Records. Informational copies, as they are called, only serve to provide information to any requesting party who wants to find out about a certain marriage. Such versions are mere photocopies printed in plain paper, and are uncertified copies, making them invalid documents in instituting identities and obtaining benefits. Their counterparts - Certified copies are issued in security paper and contain a raised seal and a signature of the State Registrar. As they can be used for whatever legal intention, State statutes limit the distribution of such copies towards the married couple, their family; any authorized representative party appointed by the said persons, and a person who can demonstrate that a particular record is required to protect a personal or asset's right. Eligible family members that can procure a copy of certified marriage records are the couple's parents, siblings, children, and grandparents.

According to Wisconsin State Laws, applying for a copy of a marriage record or any other public document is exclusively done in person, via mail or by fax. All three ways of application will require a person's identification in order to proceed. Accepted identification documents include Wisconsin-issued driver's licenses and ID cards, passports, current health insurance cards, among others. One must present the original required identification documents when applying in person, and copies of the same documents if applying by mail or by fax. Each exclusive method has its corresponding processes and payments. For requests done in person, the regular or expedited service can be implored. Requests under the regular service are processed within two hours, and are charged at $20.00 with an additional $3.00 for each copy requested at the same time. The expedited service on the other hand can process requests within 15-30 minutes and costs the same as requests utilizing the regular services with an additional $20.00. Uncertified copies requested using either method will be processed within three months. The cost is the same if you obtain a certified or an uncertified copy. Processing times for requests per mail is around a month up to three months for certified and uncertified copies, respectively, and has an identical cost with a regular request done in person. Entreaties done via fax are charged like an in person expedited service with an additional $6.00 for credit card processing, and is sent within five business days.

The many facets of convenience exhibited by the Internet have made the procurement of amenities and goods a breeze. With public records now available online, urgent matters requiring the presence of such documents can now be addressed accordingly. Simply enter the basic information about a marriage record that you are looking for in the database of any online records retrieval solutions. Search results that are accurate and reliable appear within minutes, therefore saving you truckloads of time, money and exertion.




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