Massachusetts Marriage Records are kept at the state’s Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The registry keeps marriage records dating back in the early 1916. The records are initially filed at the county Clerk of Court where the marriage licenses are granted. Requests are accepted at the state registry and the Clerk of Courts as well. Every five years, the earliest five years of records maintained at the registry are transferred to the State Archives so better preserve them.
Marriage documents are deemed as part of public documents. Every individual has the right to place a request for the documents but there are certain limitations as to who gets access to everything that is written in them. A full document is only revealed to the husband, wife, their attorneys, and individuals or parties that have the approval of the court. Requesting the documents of other individuals is also allowed but the requestor must state why he or she wants to obtain them. If the reason is valid, the requestor will still be given just the basic pieces of information of the documents which include the names of the husband and the wife, the place and date of marriage, and may even the names of witnesses amongst others. If the requestor’s reason for requesting the documents is to check the marital history of a special partner, the requestor will be given access.
In a legal proceeding, only marriage records are accepted by a judge to support the validity of a marriage. If the marriage takes a downfall and the couple decides to end it, they need to provide a copy of their marriage record when they file for a divorce. If there is no record of any marriage between them, then filing for a divorce is no longer necessary.
Before you begin your search, make sure that you know the full name of either of the couple. If the name you chose to provide is a common one, include additional information so the possibility of finding the exact record is higher. Also provide a government-issued ID and your contact information. If you choose to get the records from the county where it was originally created, there is also a certain fee, which may vary depending on which county. Regardless of where you are getting it from, all fees paid are not subject to a refund even if the records that you requested for are not found.
Online service providers can also supply you marriage files. Such service providers have the consent of the court to store and supply the files to any person who places a request. There are a several service providers available on the Web but sadly not all of them are credible. To find out if you are getting your information from a credible source, look for what other customers have to say about the service provider.
There are two types of service providers: those that render fees and those that supply you information for free. The former can give you a comprehensive set of information while the latter can give you Free Public Marriage Records which contains the basics of a file.
Having trouble searching Marriage License Records, we can help you. Visit our dedicated website at Public Marriage Records and find detailed information and tips on Marriage Records Search.