Learn Where an Oklahoma Marriage Certificate Is Filed

If you look into Oklahoma’s vital records, you’ll see that it is a state with a one foot in the past and one in the future. This fact has a bearing on Oklahoma marriage records too. As the 46th state to enter the Union in 1907, Oklahoma has a population of largely German, Irish, British and Native American descent, speaking over 25 Native American languages--the most of any state.

Nearly 60% of Oklahomans today live in metropolitan Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the twin centers of the state’s economy. If you are searching for Oklahoma marriage records, it is thus likely that you will find them here.

There is a fairly common misconception in the state that marriage records in Oklahoma are not in the public domain. The fact of the matter is that US law mandates every state to maintain updated records of vital statistics that include births, deaths and marriages. These records are also to be provided on request, subject to payable charges, to every US citizen. In fact, it is the legal right of an US citizen to ask for the record.

Low Priority Placed On Vital Records

   
Although the County Clerk’s office provides information on these vital statistics on request, certificates are available only from the State Vital Records office. You can try contacting the Oklahoma Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, 1000 Northeast 10th Street, Room 117, P.O. Box 53551, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3551. Or, you can write to the clerk of the county where the marriage took place.

What You Can Expect from the Oklahoma Marriage Certificate

Every Oklahoma marriage, including church marriages, must be registered under US law. Marriage certificates should provide, at a minimum, the full names and addresses of bride and the groom, date of marriage, and county where the marriage took place. Other data may include names and birthplaces of the bridal couple’s parents, information on previous marriages, and names of witnesses and the official conducting the ceremony.

How to Make Your Request Effective

First, write a request letter, and remember to make it short and to the point. You must not mention any unnecessary details in this. Also remember not to make more than one or two requests at any time.

Present all the data you have on the marriage. Include all the names a person may have been known by, with alternate spellings, if any, as well as nicknames.

Make sure the marriage date is right. If you do not have the exact date, give a time span for searching. Do try your best to keep it as narrow as possible, because long searches will mean that you will need to pay extra money. Lastly, you must type or print all names and addresses.

Pay no money in advance before knowing the cost of the document/s. You can instead 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. The first letter should state your requirements, provide all information, and ask about your payables. Enclose the check in the second letter. Also enclose a stamped and self-addressed envelope.

Get All the Details Right

•    Your date of request
•    Husband’s full name (the last name ideally in caps just to be sure) and wife’s full name (maiden last name again in caps)
•    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

You Can Also Place Your Request Online

Yes, it has now become much easier to obtain your marriage certificates in the State of Oklahoma. The main reason for this is that the state and the county offices are maintaining the records themselves, and they are legally obliged to share the record when you make a request. So, when you receive the information, you can be sure about its accuracy. There was a time way back in history when the church used to maintain these records, but thankfully those days are now a thing of history.

To make matters even better, you can now place your request over the Internet. This of course saves you a lot of hassles because you do not need to send an application letter through the mail. Secondly, it saves you a lot of money too. The application can be sent through a few clicks and it can be processed quickly, enabling you to receive the information fast.

So go ahead and place your request for a copy of Oklahoma marriage records. It does not matter whether you are requesting for genealogy research or to check your would-be spouse; if you submit an accurate request and send it to the right place, soon enough you will receive what you want.