Florida Public Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


If one were married in Florida, some documents would require the presentation of Florida marriage records for verification or as an added requirement. To obtain the marriage record, one can request for it from the Bureau of Statistics through e-mail, phone or mail. As email addresses are public records, the Office advises those that do not want their e-mail to be released together with their request to avail of other methods such as calling the office or sending the request by mail. The Bureau collaborated with a service provider called VitalChek to ensure that all requests will be processed.

For those who are requesting for marriage records, the Bureau repository contains records that date back to June 6, 1927 when the Office was inaugurated. Marriages that took place before the date mentioned could be obtain from the county clerk office where the license was released. Note that one should call ahead to know what fees the county charges and other pertinent details.

To order by mail, one can send in a signed letter requesting the marriage certificate. One can also download a form from the website. Each record that one requests from the Office costs about $5. If one requires additional copies, they may also include the request in their letter. Each additional record costs about $4. Take note that the cost refers to the copy of the same request and that it should be purchased at the same time as that of the original request. The state does not impose restrictions so one can order as many as one wants.

Should the office find no records, the former will issue a statement of "not found" to the person who requested the information. The fee for the request is not refundable. For duplicate copies of the "not found" record, the office will refund the fee; however, the person who requested the refund should send a request letter.

For applicants, answer the questions truthfully to ensure that the record will be easily retrieved by the office. One should fill in the groom or bride's full name, the exact date that the marriage ceremony was performed as well as the county where the license was issued. The applicant should also provide their contact details so that the Office can reach them if there are problems or issues with their request. After the form is completed, one can then send in the form and the cheque to the Office to be processed.

Some applicants might have trouble remembering the exact year when a marriage was performed. One way to solve this matter is to add a time range or period to the request. Each additional year costs about $2.00. This can affect the processing time of the document and might extend the regular processing time of two to five working days into a week. The office provides "rush hour" and "express delivery" services that one can avail of to speed up their request. A fee of $10 should be added to the request. As for the express delivery, one should include a self-addressed stamped envelope to have their request delivered. Delivery for rush hour is three days. As for express delivery, one can receive the certificate after 24 hours. For those who want a faster way to receive their records of marriage, they can request information online. This is by far the easiest and most convenient way to receive the records.




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