Monday, January 19, 2009

Search Divorce Records Online

By Ben Jen

There must be occasions when you wonder about people's marital history and wished there was a way you could know instantly. Well, there is and it's called Divorce Records Online. They come in two versions: free and fee-based. Both could work but the question is which one suits your needs better? Time and money, that's basically what's at play between Free Online Divorce Records and paid ones. With a little research, understanding divorce records becomes easy.

Divorce records are one of the principal vital records. The other categories are Marriage, Birth and Death records. Marriage and Divorce Records go hand-in-hand and are often lumped together in a search. They have been around at county level since the nineteenth century although divorce was rare in those days with some states actually banning it. By the late 60's, County Divorce Records began routinely uploading to state repositories and all old county records were filmed also.

On the back of the Freedom of Information Act of 1966, divorce records became public domain, as with all public record categories. What that means is since then, except for records sealed by court orders and those which qualify as private divorce records, public records can be obtained at government departments tasked with the service. The various ways to request them are in-person, telephone, fax, mail and online internet. It must be noted that the use and application of divorce records in certain states may be restrictive although their retrieval process is liberal.

Expectedly, to search divorce records online is the most popular method of obtaining such information. Government agencies provide them free but fees are charged when official copies, divorce certificate, decree and so forth are ordered. These free records are often too skimpy and would not suffice for any real practical purpose beyond casual surfing. On top of it, they are not friendly for multi-state searches as government public record databases are not linked between states.

A small expense of money will take you to the great expanse of paid divorce records. They are the premier league of public records. With them, retrieving the information is fast, accurate and convenient. The records from them are professionally packaged and delivered in plug-and-play form. They also include contents derived from private databases and specialist network. It's a fiercely competitive industry. Log onto any of the major search engines and you'll be spoilt for choice on such outfits.

Ultimately, whether you go with free or paid Online Divorce Records will depend on whether you're up to the task to DIY the free records and the purpose of the search. If there's no need for professional standards and you have the bandwidth and spirit to go it yourself, then why waste hard-earned money? But then again, if leisure is preferred over the savings and your pocket is deep, why not? The important thing is to go in with your eyes open.

Know your options when you Search Divorce Records. From free sources to professional information providers, find them by visiting us at Divorce Records Online for specialist tips and information.

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Search Divorce Records

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Marriage Records Search California

By Dave Porter

California Marriage Records contain data on names, licenses and counties for marriage applications. All public marriage records in the state of California are kept by the California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records. Individual counties issue confidential records pertaining to licenses that were issued out of their office. The same is true for divorce records. They will be found only in the county of which the Superior Court ordered the divorce decree. California's law - The California Public Records Act - mandates that all public records and copies are made available to anyone.

Websites by government agencies provide adequate marriage records free of charge if you are just looking for general information. The same can be accomplished by searching the database on-site at the respective county offices. However, for formal proceedings, you would need professionally packaged official marriage records. The Office of Vital Records is the authorized department to provide official marriage records in California. It can also release divorce Certificates of Record. For both, there is a fee involved when requesting certified copies.

So, we therefore have the choice of going it ourselves in gathering California Marriage Records or hire professional help to perform the task for us. It's an individual thing and each has its own merits and setbacks. Obviously, marriage records from free sources save money but their standards inevitably won't match up to those from fee-based ones. Often too, circumstances demand that such information is obtained through certified bodies thus ruling out the DIY (do-it-yourself) option.

Nevertheless, anyone has the right to view public records at the Public Health Office on a county-by-county basis within the state of California. You can also request some of the information by email. Do ensure that you have the right forms and the appropriate fees. The Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records would be happy to advise you on that. Both marriage records and divorce records can be obtained in this manner but it could be long and arduous. The California Office of Vital Statistics is typically backlogged at 180 days. They actually recommend that you visit the local county office directly to view or request copies of records. The procedure varies from one county to the next, so call ahead to check.

A practical solution to get around the lead-time and legwork is by turning to commercial record providers. With their experience and infrastructure, they can speed things up considerably for you. They can turnkey the whole thing for you. Their service includes searching and retrieving the marriage records based on the information that you supply, placing order for them and follow through on the delivery of their certified copies.

The public records business is demanding and competitive. Industry leaders are highly professional and have extensive experience in getting public records from county offices. In order to survive in the game, they have to charge affordable rates also. They will get the forms, enquire the fees and advise on applicable state laws. Many of them have in-house databases of marriage and divorce records for existing or potential customers, completely circumventing the need to wait on government agencies to produce those records.

With over 36 million residents living in California today, on top of the hundreds of millions in years past, there are quite a bit of California marriage records on file and archive. Finding just the ones spot-on is potentially daunting and error-prone for the amateur. In all practicality, it will be worth the cost to hire professionals for the task. After all, the subject of marriage records is hardly ever a trivial matter.

Gathering information on California Marriage Records? It can be a challenge but we can help. Visit our website at Marriage Records Search online to check out our research finding.

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Marriage Records Search