Sunday, April 13, 2014

California Public 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.

Each marriage record request costs about $14. For those who need a copy of Dissolution of marriage, the cost is $13. For affidavit to amend marriage certificate, the fee is $20 but this can be waived in certain instances. All requests must include the request form, a notarized sworn statement and a money order or check for payment. The Department does not accept cash and is not responsible for lost transactions.

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.

The first step in obtaining a marriage certificate is to determine if the record is available from the CDPH Vital Record Division. The Office provides public and confidential marriage records. Confidential records are only obtainable by the two parties named in the certificate and are only available from the County Clerk's Office. Download the pamphlet available from the Records Division. Once all the requirements are met, send the application form, notarized sworn statement and the fee to the CDPH Office. Only checks and money order drawn from a US bank or issued by the USPS are accepted. For no records, the Office will release a Certificate of No Public Records to the person requesting the copies. Fees are not refundable. Send the entire document to the address of the office through mail or through courier.

Marriage and divorce records are available not only from the CDPH but as well as in the Superior Court (divorce) and County Recorder's Office (marriage). You can also access several online sites that offer the service.




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