Thursday 30 October 2014

Online Search For Public Marriage Records

By Claire Dowell


These are the steps on getting a license for a marriage in New York. First, the couple needs to be together to apply for a license to marry. Second, they have to be at the city or town where the wedding will take place. They will have to go to the nearest town or city clerk. Finally, they have to fill out an application form and sign said form in the presence of the clerk. Just a reminder though, the rules are very strict. Only the couples about to be married can fill out the form. This means that the couple can't use representatives or proxies to sign for them. A special power of attorney or notarized marriage license is not a sufficient substitute for one of the couple. Don't worry though; the state of New York doesn't require a blood test or premarital examination so if you can fill out the form you'll be getting your license soon.

Once the license is issued to the couple, they need to wait 24 hours before they can get married. This isn't a big issue as most couples have their wedding days scheduled months after getting their licenses. However if the couple wants to be married immediately, the can make a request from the supreme court or county court to waive the 24 hour waiting period. If one of the couple or both are 16 years old and below, the request to waive the 24 hour period can be obtained from the family court instead. The license to wed is valid up to three months or 60 days. For same sex weddings, the rules are the same.

There are fees that you need to pay to obtain the wedding license. For citizens living in the outside of New York City, the fee is $40 for the certificate of marriage registration. Once the application is submitted, the certificate of registration will be sent to the couple after 15 days. For citizens living in New York City, they can get an accurate list of the fees by going to the nearest clerk.

Marriage documents also have other purposes. To many, they are great reference material in recreating their genealogical family tree. Children may also use the documents to prove their legitimacy especially when claiming inheritance. For others, the papers are additional documents that can be submitted when applying for a divorce. Widows and widowers may also need the marriage certificate if they are planning to claim insurance.

The fee in getting a copy of a marriage registration and license is $10 for general purposes. For genealogical purposes, the fees vary depending on the date of the wedding. The fee starts at $22 for weddings within 1 to 3 years. Fees can reach as high as $202 for marriages that took place 90 years ago. For weddings for the years 1996 to present, the documents can be found at the New York City clerk. Weddings within 1930 to 1955, the records are located at the Manhattan office. If you're unsure where to get your records, call the nearest clerk to ask for information. Once you've found the right office and clerk, fill out an application request form and submit it with your fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope so you can have your documents mailed to your home.

If you don't like the hassle or cost in getting information about weddings, you may try websites that offer free marriage records. These websites have the index of weddings online and can be searched easily using your computer. All you have to do is log on and input the names of the spouses. If you require physical or certified copies, the websites offer the services for a small fee.




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