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California Marriage License Records can is maintained by the Office of Vital Records of the California Department of Public Health. You can obtain a copy of certified marriage certificates at the Department and also at the County Recorders Office. The County Clerks Office maintains "Confidential" records.
It takes six months to process requests of marriage files at the Office of Vital Records. If you need the files sooner and cannot wait for six months, then go to the County Recorders Office and submit a request via mail. In cases the "Confidential" files is what you need, head to the County Clerks Office, but note that your name has to be found in the file so you can access the file.
A marriage certificate will only exist for a marriage ceremony that legally transpired. For a marriage ceremony to be legal, a license is required. You can file for one at the County Clerks Office and you should file it with your spouse exactly at the same date. A valid ID should be presented by both spouses. No residency is needed to apply for a license. And if either of the spouse has any marital history, a proof that the marriage is ended should be provided. A procured license will only be usable within 90 days from day it is approved. Also it is the most effective to trace the maiden name and married name of a lady.
For an application of the documents to be accepted, three other paper documents should be present. A request form with all the needed fields answered, a sworn statement signed under penalty of perjury, and a birth certificate. Even if you miss only one of these three, your request will still not be accepted. All requests not accepted are not subject to any refund.
Marriage records are deemed public records and therefore they can be accessed by any member of the public provided that standard procedures are followed. Certified copies of the records are divided into two: authorized and informational. Both are certified and contain the same information but the latter can only be used as a source of information only and therefore cannot be considered as a legal document. You can find the names of the couple, the county that granted their license, date and place of marriage, person who performed the ceremony, age, address, and other vital information.
Lookup Marriage Records
There is another way that you procure marriage records, faster than the County Recorders Office, and that is through a professional record keeper which you can find online. They are recognized by the government to safe-keep and provide vital records to the public. They utilize a database to gather data from different sources. Although the records are for free, these record keepers require a fee for their service.
