Learn Where to Find a New York Marriage Certificate and How It Is Filed with the State

If you’re interested in searching for marriage records, the State of New York is the place to be searching. If you want vital records – such as those of a New York State marriage – you have 62 counties to check with, as well as a total of 4200 other incorporated government units in the form of towns, cities and villages.

You'll have no great distances to travel during your search. 92% of New York's population lives in urban, well-connected areas. It is a great area for genealogical studies, with its high domestic migration to other states, and even higher influx of international immigrants. Both demographics represent potential generators and consumers of vital records, including those of marriage in New York.

Updated public marriage records are maintained by the state and the county authorities for the convenience of the general public. Marriage records are under the public domain and so the authorities are legally obliged to maintain them. It is also mandated by law to provide you full access when you place a request.

Why You Might Need to Request a New York Marriage Certificate

You might need to submit a request for a New York marriage record for various reasons. You might be conducting genealogical research, a background check, or tracing your own parents. There are some people who even place the request to check on a prospective spouse.

The most popular reason is however for genealogical research. At various times in history a large number of people have traveled to and settled in New York. Your great-grandfather, uncle, aunt or someone else might have also done so, and was married here. Now when you are mapping your family tree, you can request these marriage records for more information.

Do keep in mind that only those marriage records that were filed by the courts can be searched. What this means is that the records need to be legal to search for them.

What Official New York Marriage Records Include

Every marriage in NY, including church marriages, must be registered under law. At the very least, New York marriage records provide the full names bride and the groom, date of the marriage, and county where the marriage took place. Many certificates reveal names and birthplaces of bride's and groom's parents, addresses of the bride and the groom, information on previous marriages, if any, and names of  witnesses and the person officiating at the ceremony.

Vital statistics in New York State (except New York City, Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers) from 1881 to present are kept at the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records Section, Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237-0023.

The clerk of each county keeps the records for Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers, and all areas not included above.

The Process of Submitting a Request

At the outset of your search, you will need to write a concise request letter. Do remember that you should avoid any unnecessary details about the family, and make only one or two requests at once.

Submit all you know about the New York marriage. Include all the names a person may be known by, including alternate spellings and nicknames. Also get the marriage date right. If you do not know it, set a time span to search – narrow it down to save cost. The larger the span of years of the New York marriage search, the more fees you will have to pay. It is always better to type or print all names and addresses.

Pay no advances without knowing the cost of the document/s. Instead, you should send a blank check that is signed with "Not to exceed $__.00" (the maximum likely amount) in red ink, under the check’s "$____" line.

Better still, write two letters. In the first letter you should state your requirements, provide all information, and ask about your payables. In the second letter you must enclose your check.

Enclose a stamped and self-addressed envelope. Never forget this when you are sending that request.

Always be patient and courteous. The offices in New York, just like in some other parts of the country, are often short-staffed and overworked. It is also good to know that they are willing to help, but this is not the main work that they do, so it can take some time. They would really appreciate any patience and courtesy you show.

Provide These Details In Your New York Marriage Certificate Request:

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