Learn Where a North Carolina Marriage Certificate Is Filed

If you are searching marriage records in North Carolina, here’s what you should know:

Since 1868, North Carolina marriage records can be found in the Register of Deeds in each county. Prior to that, with marriages conducted by many different church or local institutions, record keeping was erratic. Around half the counties have marriage bonds available. You should also know that nearly every county will show some records of marriages.

North Carolina began their statewide registration of vital statistics in March 1913, though compliance was complete only by 1920. So between 1913 and 1920 not all records might be properly maintained. The best you can do is contact the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources, Vital Records Section, 225 North McDowell Street, P.O. Box 29537, Raleigh, NC 27626-0537.

Contents of Official Marriage Certificates

Every marriage in NC, including church marriages, must be registered under law. At the very least, marriage certificates should provide, at a minimum, full names of bride and the groom, date of  marriage and the county where the marriage took place. Many will include information such as the names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents, addresses of the bride and the groom, information on previous marriages if any, and names of witnesses and the person officiating at the ceremony.

Making an Effective Request to Receive Your North Carolina Marriage Certificate

First, write a concise request letter and remember to keep it short and to the point. You must avoid every unnecessary detail. It is always best to make only one or two requests at any time.

Submit all the information you have about the marriage. For instance, include all the names a person might be known by, alternate spellings if any, as well as nicknames.

The marriage date should be right. If you do not have the exact date, give a time span for searching – keep it as narrow as possible, because the longer the search, the more it will cost you. To avoid confusion, type or print all names and addresses.

Pay nothing in advance without knowing the cost of the document/s. You can however send a blank check, signed, with "Not to exceed $__.00" (the maximum likely amount) in red ink under the check’s "$____" line. Better still, write two letters. In the first, state your requirements, provide all information, and ask about your payables. The second letter should have the check in it. Always remember to enclose a stamped and self-addressed envelope.

Remember to be patient and courteous. These offices have to handle mountains of applications like yours, and the staff strength is in most cases short. Also do remember that though the office is willing to help you, this is not the most important work that they do. They would really appreciate any patience and courtesy you show them.

Some Details You Must Include:

•    Your date of request
•    Husband’s full name (the last name ideally in capital letters just to be sure) and wife’s full name (maiden last name again in capitals)
•    The marriage date
•    Place of marriage (city or town, county, state)
•    Relationship to you
•    Purpose of your application
•    Your name, signature & address
•    Your driver's license number & state may be required in some counties.

Online Requests are Quick and Easy!

Just go online and you can comfortably do away with nearly all of the above, and get much other relevant, authenticated data. With so many private online archives based on authentic state databases, you can get your marriage certificate completely hassle-free: no legal hurdles to leap, and no forms to fill or explanations to make about your identity and motive. Look through the online archives, pay by credit or debit card and just download the marriage certificate you need.