Wednesday, October 6, 2010

How to find out if a marriage license exists in virginia

find out if a marriage license exists in virginia


It's interesting:
"You'd think I'd know better than to be out drinking in the early hours of the morning the night before a big wedding - but Paul's a mate and he needed some ..."

Just because someone wears a wedding band and talks about a spouse doesn't necessarily prove that the person is married. Finding out if a marriage license exists takes a bit of digging, but you can gather this information in Virginia. If you want to be sure the person is still married, you should also check divorce records to make sure the marriage hasn't been dissolved.

Instructions

    • 1

      Ask if you're eligible to obtain vital records for the person. According to the Virginia Department of Health's website, you must be directly related to one of the people on the marriage license to obtain a copy. It lists immediate family members as mother, father, brother, sister, child, spouse and grandparents. Aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws cannot obtain vital records for that person.

    • 2

      Request the records. If you are eligible to obtain a copy of the license, there are three ways you can request one. You can go to the Department of Health's Vital Records Office at 2001 Maywill Street in Richmond, Virginia. You can request a copy via mail. You can also obtain a copy online through VitalCheck.

    • 3

      Request a background check. If you are not eligible to order a marriage or divorce certificate, run a background check on the person. A complete background check should disclose whether the person is married, divorced or single. You will need the person's Social Security number and full name to run this check, so be upfront that you plan to request a criminal history record and why. The records can be ordered through your local law enforcement office.

    • 4

      Request a certified copy. If you still can't determine if the person is married, ask him to give you a certified copy of his marriage license (or divorce certificate). The person might have this information on file and can simply bring it to you to make a copy.

Tips &- Warnings

  • To obtain an official copy of the license from the department of health, you'll need a photo ID.

  • According to the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Vital Records, you cannot obtain any information on whether a marriage license exists unless you are an immediate family member. However, marriage licenses are also filed in the county or town in which the person was married. Local municipalities vary on how and who this information is given to. Contact the office for the county where the couple was married to see if this information is available.


Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: marriage license, license exists, marriage license exists, person married, this information, background check, obtain copy