Learn Where to Find a Washington Marriage Certificate and How It Is Filed

Since the creation of the Washington Territory in 1853, marriages have been recorded with the respective county offices. For specific information about the marriage records dating from January 1968, you will need to visit or write to the Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709.

For prior records or those from a specific Washington county, you'll need to contact the clerk of the relevant county. Of course, you may also request records specific to the city of Seattle.

Data Available in a Washington State Marriage Certificate

On a Washington marriage certificate, you can typically expect to find at least the bridal couple’s full names, marriage date, and the county where the marriage occurred. Many records will also include addresses of bride and the groom, evidence of previous marriages if any, names and birthplaces of bride and the groom's parents, names of witnesses and the person who conducted the wedding ceremony.

You can ask for a marriage WA record for many reasons, but the most popular reason is for genealogy research. Perhaps you are in the process of mapping your family tree and want to locate your great-grandfather, uncle or aunt, about whom you have not heard for years. You may know that the person came to the state, got married and settled here. The marriage certificate can help you in this search process.

You may also ask for a Washington marriage certificate to check the background of your would-be spouse, just to be sure and double-check the facts.

Making Your Application Work

You can request a marriage record, but you need to ensure that the application you submit is accurate. Here is a guide to help you do just that:

Please remember to keep your request letter brief and topical. Take care not to confuse by providing unnecessary family information. Avoid making more than two requests in one letter, because otherwise it may simply travel from desk to desk, causing avoidable delay.

Provide all possible data about the marriage. If a person goes by more than one name, mention all of them including nicknames and alternate spellings.

The marriage date you give should be accurate. What if you don’t know the exact date? In such a case, you will need to provide a time span that is as accurate as possible. Try to keep it narrow because the wider the search, the more it will cost you.

Write all names and addresses in block letters to avoid misreading.

Pay nothing in advance, unless you are certain about exactly how much it will cost you. Guesswork could leave you out of pocket. Consider sending a signed blank check with "Not to exceed $__.00" (the maximum likely amount) written preferably in red ink, under the check's "$____" line.

Your safest course is writing two letters. The first letter should state your needs, provide all the relevant information, and ask about the charges payable. The second should carry your check.

Remember to enclose a stamped and self-addressed envelope when you are making the application.

State and county offices are likely short of staff and swamped with paperwork. Genealogical queries are handled as a courtesy, which is not part of their everyday jobs. So it is a good idea to show a little patience and courtesy, especially if you find their responses slower than you would like.

Remember the Essential Details

•    Date of request
•    Full name of husband (last name in caps)
•    Full name of wife (maiden name in caps)
•    Date of marriage
•    Place of marriage (city or town, county, state)
•    Relationship to you
•    Purpose for which the record is needed
•    Your name & address
•    Your driver's license number & state (some counties require it)
•    Your signature