The Florida Office of Vital Statistics is the office in-charge of maintaining Public Florida Marriage Records. Their office has been maintaining the files since the 6th of June 1927. Files of marriages that occurred prior to that date can only be found at the exact county Clerk’s office or church where the wedding took place.
Any person can access marriage files because they are considered as part of the public domain. The most important purpose of the files is that it supports the legality of a marriage. Other purposes include performing genealogical researches, filing for a divorce, and doing a background check on a potential partner.
To initiate a search, you must be able to provide the names of the owners of the records, which are the husband and the wife, and the date and place where their marriage occurred. You should also provide your full name and contact information. A marriage certificate will cost you $5 for each copy. There is no limit as to how many copies you can get but you will be charged $4 for each additional copy. If the records you requested for are not found, you will not be given a refund. It usually takes two to three weeks to process a request for marriage records. Fortunately, if you want them sooner, you can request a rush service which normally takes three business days.
A marriage is considered null and void if there is no marriage license. The man husband-to-be and the wife-to-be must be present at the same time when they apply for a license. Both the man and the woman must show a government-issued ID with their names, date of birth, and their signature. If the man or the woman is under the legal age of 18 years old, he or she must secure written parent’s consent. There is a fee of $93.50 for the license. The license has a validity period of 90 days and a 3-day waiting period, from the day it is approved, before the couple can perform the wedding rites.
Another way of obtaining the records is through privately-owned sites that cater to providing marriage records to the public upon request. There are a number of sites that offer the documents but not all of them are legit. To have an idea if a site is legit or not, look for the feedbacks of other users and find out if they are satisfied with the service or not.
You can also find service providers that can provide you with Marriage License Records. However, that can be a little tricky if what you are requesting is not your own because normally they are offered only to the couple, their legal representatives, and individuals or groups that have the authorization from the court.
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