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Effective January 1, 2010, the guidelines for ordering marriage records are changing.
Because of the increased occurrence of
identity theft, new laws were passed to protect marriage records
from misuse. These laws go into effect January 1, 2010. At that time, the
steps necessary to obtain a marriage record will change
significantly.
Marriage Records
New Law Effective January 1, 2010
Effective January 1, 2010, the California
Health and Safety Code, Section 103526, will permit only authorized
individuals to receive certified copies of marriage records. Those who are
not authorized by law to receive a certified copy will receive a certified
copy marked "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH
IDENTITY." The new law describes an authorized person as: ·
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The registrant or a parent or legal
guardian of the registrant.
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A party entitled to receive the record as
a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency
seeking the marriage record in order to comply with the requirements of
Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code.
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A member of a law enforcement agency or a
representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who
is conducting official business.
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A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling,
spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.
- An attorney representing the registrant
or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute
or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the
registrant's estate.
In order to obtain a Certified Copy on or
after January 1, 2010, you MUST complete
the sworn statement included with the marriage certificate application form
and sign the statement under penalty of perjury. If you mail your request,
your sworn statement must be notarized. If your mailed request indicates
that you want a Certified Copy but does not include a notarized statement
sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be rejected as incomplete
and returned to you without being processed.
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