Learn How to Find a Minnesota Marriage Certificate

Minnesota as a state began the recording of vital details of its citizens quite early. The archiving of Minnesota marriage certificates was instituted as early as 1870, and it was the individual counties that maintained these records.

But it was not until 1907 that the State of Minnesota started the official archiving of records. Records of vital statistics including marriages can be an important source of information when you are trying to locate a long-lost family member. Perhaps you are in the process of mapping your family tree? These marriage records can help you immensely in this task.

MN marriage records contain vital information about the marriage of two people. You can learn about the bride's and groom's full names, as well as the date of marriage and the county or place of marriage.

In some instances, the record contains names of the mothers and fathers of the spouses, and even the birthplace of the bride's and the groom's parents. If you are lucky, you may also be able to find out about the witnesses of the wedding ceremony.

How a Minnesota Marriage Certificate Is Filed

In the State of Minnesota, the vital records registration began from 1870 onwards. For the next thirty-seven years, it was the responsibility of each county to maintain these records dutifully. Some counties saved marriage records apart from other records for earlier events.

In the year 1907, the State of Minnesota took upon itself the responsibility of maintaining records of vital statistics. For marriage records prior to that, you will need to contact the clerk of the county in question.

For records of vital statistics from after 1908, please get in touch with:

Minnesota Department of Health
Section of Vital Statistics Registration
717 Delaware Street, S.E.
P.O. Box 9441
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-9441

Where to Find Minnesota Marriage Certificates

When filing a request for a copy of a marriage license, you must make sure to include the relevant information like the full name of the husband (last name in caps) and the full maiden name of the wife (last name in caps). Moreover, you will need to provide the date and place of the marriage. Please provide your relationship to the party and why the record is needed by you.

The requestor's name & address must be included in the application. The requestor's driver's license number and state must be provided as well – this is required in some counties. Please do not forget to include your signature at the end.

How to Obtain a Copy of a Minnesota Marriage Certificate

In the United States, in order to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate you will have to write or visit the vital statistics office in the relevant state or county where the event had taken place. You should know that the states and counties are legally obliged to maintain the records. When you place your request for a Minnesota marriage copy, they are legally obliged to share the information with you.

Please remember to be patient and courteous with the staff at the office. Do keep in mind that though they are willing to help you, this is not the main work that they do. Also remember that the office is swamped with requests like this, and so there might be some delays.