Bay County Marriage Records

Marriage records, such as Bay County Marriage Records, are the official documents kept by the government in relation to marriage. It is used in a number of procedures, in particular, to claim Social Security and pension benefits, adoptions, and name changes. They could also be used in private processes and for personal reasons, such as a child trying to claim legitimacy, or some rights and obligations from his or her parents that are only available to the child if he really is the child of the couple. When one takes this into consideration, it is easy to see why the government keeps the records.

Marriage records are public records, and this classification means that they are supposed to be available to every person who would ask for them. In relation to this classification, Marriage Records Bay County are indeed available to any person who would ask for them, albeit there must be certain procedures that must first be followed before they could be made available in order to streamline the process and to ensure maximum efficiency.

Now, Bay County Marriage License Records are available at two source levels, the first would be the local or county level. At this level, the office that is concerned is the Office of the Clerk of Courts who is the official custodian of all public records within the county. A request for public records, and not just marriage records, at this level would require the searcher to first have the document number of the record. If the searcher does not have the document number, then he or she must first obtain the same through the use of the online viewer. To use the viewer, the searcher should go online at the public records directory maintained by the clerk and search for the document number there. The procedure starts with the searcher first indicating in the search page the type of search that he or she wants to do. A blank search page should then be made available to the searcher which he or she could then fill up before hitting the search button. The results should then be made available at the bottom of the page and the searcher could locate his or her document there, as well as the document number. Now, he or she must proceed to the public records department of the clerk of courts and request for the actual record there using the document number that he or she should have taken from the online viewer.

The second source level would be the state level, and at this level, the department concerned for the search for Florida Marriage License Records would be the Florida Department of Health, in particular, the Office of Vital Records. The procedure here starts with the searcher first downloading the order form and filling the same. Note that the required fee is thirty dollars and should be answered for using a money order which should then be attached to the order form. The thirty dollar fee is refundable up to the extent of twenty five dollars if there are no records available. The five dollars is the non-refundable search fee. The processing time takes anywhere between four to six weeks.

Of course, it is also possible to just download the marriage certificate online using online databases. Although most are unaffiliated with the government, most of them provide the same information as the government offices, albeit using a faster and more efficient platform made possible because of the internet. This means that these online databases could be used anywhere so long as there is a reasonable internet connection, without the need for lines.

Marriage Records Bay County

The procedure to follow when requesting for records at the local level is given below

• – Determine first the document number of the document that you are interested in
• – Head first to the online viewing of the clerk of court
• – Indicate that type of search that you want to conduct.
• – Once you made your selection, a blank page should be made available for you to fill up. Do so as accurately as possible.
• – Click the ‘search’ button at the bottom of the page.
• – The search results should be displayed. Locate the record that you are interested in from those provided for.
• – Note the document number of the document that you had selected.
• – Head over to the clerk of courts department of public records
• – Inform the clerk that you are there to request for public records and give the clerk the document number.
• – The clerk would then get the records and copy them for you

Bay County Marriage License Records

Other pertinent information may be obtained through the following links

• – Bay County
• – Clerk of Courts
• – Library
• – 14th Judicial Circuit
• – Florida Department of Health
• – Florida Office of Vital Records
• – Center for Disease Control Where to Write