How to Find Marriage Records for Free in Georgia

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The popularity of ancestry sites and DNA kits is causing more people to look into their family histories. Marriage records can add wonderful context to a family genealogy project, as knowing where and when your ancestors were married paints a much richer picture of your ancestry at a given time in history. Or, perhaps you need a copy of a marriage certificate for a legal proceeding. Whatever your reason, getting a copy of a Georgia marriage license is pretty simple, not to mention inexpensive. However, there are a few important points to know before you get started.

Georgia Marriage License Search

A marriage certificate is a legal document that officially records a marriage. Anyone can request a copy of an official marriage certificate in Georgia. Further, you can request a certificate for any marriage, even if you are not a party to that marriage. A marriage record can be used for genealogy research, legal proceedings and name changes such as in the case of divorce, among other reasons. There are two ways to do a Georgia marriage license search, depending on when the marriage took place:

• Marriages between June 1952 and August 1996: Contact the Georgia State Office of Vital Records.
• Marriages before June 1952 and after August 1996: Contact the relevant county probate court.

It’s important to note that marriage license records for Georgia are not available online, through email or by phone. They can be obtained only through the Georgia State Office of Vital Records or the relevant county probate court. To request a GA marriage record, you must complete and sign a request form and provide all relevant information, along with a valid ID. Your request can be completed in person by walk-in, or in some cases, through a mail-in request.

Associated Fees

You might be wondering if there are free marriage records in Georgia. Unfortunately, you must pay a fee to get marriage certificates in Georgia. The search fee, which includes one certificate, is $10, and each additional copy is $5. The search fee is non-refundable, even if no marriage license is found. Fees can be paid by check, money order, cash, debit card or Visa or MasterCard credit cards. Some forms of payment are available only in person, so be sure to follow all relevant instructions if you are completing a mail-in request.

Are Free Marriage Records Available?

There are no free marriage records in Georgia. All marriage records requests must be handled by the appropriate government entities, and will cost you a fee.

Read More: How to Access Free Birth & Marriage Records