Clearwater County Minnesota Marriage Records

Find Marriage Records in Clearwater County Minnesota

What are public marriage records? Well, these documents are one of the most kept secrets in America. These records are supposed to remain private, but they certainly don’t. Public records are public documents that reveal personal information about a person such as full name, date of birth, place of marriage and even occupation if they were married.

There is a very good reason why these records are kept private. If the people who were recorded had committed some crimes then there would be a lot of paperwork involved and it would take a lot of time just to get the information from the different departments. This is where the problem arises. When someone wants to get married, they usually hire an attorney and that attorney’s office keeps the marriage records hidden. Therefore, any time that you request these records they will not turn up.

All public records are supposed to be free for the public to view. However, the laws are many and strict and they only allow access to those records which are state approved and which can be traced through the Vital Records Office in each state. Marriage records are one of those states. In other words it is legal to search for marriage and you need to do it in the correct way.

To begin with one will have to approach the county where the marriage took place. Once there you will be required to fill out a public records request form and submit it along with the applicable fee. If the request proves to be incomplete or incorrect, the county has the right to carry out investigations to find out whether the requester is legitimate. If the results of the investigations are positive then you will be informed and should make arrangements to obtain copies of the marriage certificate. It may also be required to provide documentary proof of your relationship and proof that the marriage was performed in the presence of a notary.

The fee is not normally that high as it does not include the cost of employing a lawyer to ensure the accuracy of the records and also to make sure that one is not committing forgery. There are other sources besides the courthouses where one can obtain marriage records like the Vital Records Office, the Office of the Clerk Recorder in each county or the office of the Secretary of State. These record offices also allow you to download the records at no cost provided you give them permission to do so. However, certain information like the names of the couple, their parents or the officiator of the ceremony are not allowed to be published as these are considered private information and the state has the right to keep these details confidential.

Another alternative that is becoming increasingly popular is searching for marriage license records online. These services do require a small fee and you will get comprehensive details of the person who you wish to search. It is advisable that one compares the costs of such services before choosing the one that best suits one’s needs.