How do i find marriage records for free

Birth and Death Records

On January 1, 1906, birth and death records began to be recorded at the state level in Pennsylvania. These records are maintained at the Division of Vital Records , P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, Pennsylvania, 16103-1528, and telephone (724) 656-3100. This site will give you information and forms necessary to obtain the records.

Table of Contents Show

Birth and Death Records
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
The Office of the City Clerk - NYC Marriage Bureau is open for in-person appointments only.
You can schedule an in-person appointment for a Marriage Ceremony, Marriage License, and other select services through Project Cupid. The option to schedule a virtual appointment for a Marriage License also remains available.
Can you look up someone to see if they are married?
Are US marriage records public?
Can you look up marriage records online in Florida?
How do I look up a marriage certificate in Florida?

By statute, birth and death records were to be recorded and maintained at the various county courthouses from 1893 to 1906. Birth and death registers were to be kept by the Register of Wills in the various county courthouses from 1852 to 1855. Before January 1, 1906, only scattered records exist in the various county courthouses.

Original birth certificates for 1906-1915 and death certificates for 1906-1970 are available at the State Archives. Digital copies of the 1906-1911 birth certificates and the 1906-1968 death certificates may be found on Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania residents may access these records free of charge through Ancestry.com. Find out more from the Pennsylvania Historical Museum & Commission.

Marriage Records

Since September 30, 1885, marriage licenses have been required in Pennsylvania and are maintained by the Marriage License Clerk in the county courthouse of the county issuing the license. Before September 30, 1885 the issuing of licenses was not obligatory, but was intended for those cases where the banns were not published or the marriage in church was dispensed with. For these earlier marriages, church records and newspapers may provide information.

Divorce Records

Since 1804, Divorce Records have been kept in the Prothonotary's Office in the county where the divorce was granted. In addition, local newspapers frequently published notices of divorce actions.

From 1682 to 1773, divorce could be granted by the Legislature or the Governor subject to royal veto by Royal Council. In 1773, British Parliament forbade royal governors in America to grant divorces and the Legislature was the governing body to which pleas for divorce were submitted. From 1785 through 1804, either the Supreme Court or the Legislature could act on divorce matters. From 1804 through 1847, the Legislature and the Courts of Common Pleas handled divorces. In 1847, the Court of Common Pleas alone began to govern divorce action. Since 1804, these records have been kept in the Prothonotary's Office in the county where the divorce was granted.

Divorces were rare in colonial Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War and early statehood. Some Pennsylvania divorces granted by the Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Court are in the Statutes At Large of Pennsylvania; Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 1898; and Record Group 33, Division of Archives and Manuscripts, Bureau of Archives and History, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This Record Group contains Supreme Court Divorce Papers, Eastern District, 1786-1815, arranged alphabetically; Supreme Court General Motions, 1750-1837, and Divorce Docket, 1800-1805, arranged by date.

Search Tips

Applicant 1, Applicant 2 or Both

Enter at least a last name for either the Applicant 1 or Applicant 2. Keep in mind that the more information you provide, the narrower your search will be (i.e., the fewer records will be returned).

Marriage Year (Range)

If you don’t know the year the marriage was solemnized, you may leave this blank. If your search returns too many results, you may wish to provide an approximate date range.

County Issued

This is the Indiana county where the couple applied for their marriage license — not necessarily their current county of residence. If you are not sure, you may leave this blank. If your search returns too many results, you may select one or more counties to reduce the number of records.

The Office of the City Clerk - NYC Marriage Bureau is open for in-person appointments only.

No walk-in visits are permitted.

Please do not visit any office of the City Clerk unless you have scheduled an appointment and have a received a confirmation email.

You can schedule an in-person appointment for a Marriage Ceremony, Marriage License, and other select services through Project Cupid. The option to schedule a virtual appointment for a Marriage License also remains available.

If your marriage was recorded in Hillsborough County, copies of marriage license records and indexes for Hillsborough County from 1846 forward are available for viewing and purchase at the Official Records Library, 419 Pierce Street, Room 140. Marriage license records from 1972 to present are viewable online. Go to Online Search of Official Records, and enter either spouse's name at the time of marriage (Record Type for this search is MAR). There is no charge to view a marriage document in person or online.

NEW 24/7 SERVICE! Electronically certified copies of marriage records are now available 24/7 using the Clerk's new eCertify for Official Records service.

Some historical marriage license records for Tampa and Hillsborough County are available for viewing online at the University of South Florida. You can also view historical marriage records for the entire state of Florida online at the State Office of Vital Statistics.

If the copy will be used for legal purposes, a certified copy is required. The charge for a certified copy is $3 ($1 per page and $2 to certify the document). You can request certified copies of marriage records by mail, by phone, in person and electronically 24/7 thru eCertify for Official Records.

By Mail:

Make checks or money orders payable to "Clerk of the Circuit Court". Provide both spouses’ names at the time of application (include the maiden name if applicable) and the date of marriage. Mail requests are processed within 4-6 business days. Mail requests to: Clerk of Court - Marriage, P.O. Box 3249, Tampa, FL 33601-3249

By Phone:

Copies may be requested by telephone at (813) 276-8100, with a credit card. An additional 3.5% fee is charged by the credit card processing vendor. Telephone orders are processed within 2 - 3 business days.

In Person:

Copies of marriage license records may be requested in person. Walk-in customers receive the document the same day. Payment can be made in person with cash, check, money order or credit card (additional 3.5% processing fee for credit card payments).

Can you look up someone to see if they are married?

Anyone can find out if someone is married by searching the public records for the state and county where the marriage certificate is filed. With access to the internet, you can find the county records without paying a fee, unless you request a copy of the marriage license.

Are US marriage records public?

Marriage licenses and divorces are public records and are available to anyone that requests them. Divorce records can be sealed under certain situations. In the case where they are sealed they will no longer be available to the general public.