Michigan Marriage Records

Getting access to Michigan marriage records can give you access to a world of information that can help you with a genealogy project or with helping you to simply track down relatives. Determining where to get started can be a challenge sometimes because there are so many companies on the internet that will request an incredibly high fee simply to access to a marriage record that is, in fact, free to gain access to.

Obtaining Records

The State of Michigan maintains marriage records dating back to 1867. Records are stored with the Michigan State Vital Records office; this office contains an incredible selection of vital records that include marriage records along with birth, divorce, and death records.
Any records that date back 100 years, and beyond, are considered to be public records, and can often be accessed through any number of public libraries.

All of the records that date back to 1867 are available for purchase. Individuals can purchase Michigan marriage records from the State Vital Records office via the mail, in person, or online. Divorce records are also available dating back to 1897 to present day, with the exception of a few divorce decrees that were issued between 1973 and 1974 in Detroit.

There is a simple form to be completed in order to obtain access to marriage records and get a certified copy of one of them. It can be found online or can be picked up at the State Vital records office. Associated fees may fluctuate so be sure to check the most recent date on their fee schedule.

Information You Will Need

There are several important pieces of information that you will need in order to submit your application to gain access to one or more Michigan marriage records.

• * The date of the marriage; if you do not know the exact date then you should at the very least provide the year of the marriage. If you only have an approximation for the year that the marriage occurred then you can request additional years be searched; keep in mind that there is likely going to be an additional charge for each year that you search.
• * Name of the groom and the bride’s name when the marriage license was applied for. First, middle, and last names are all hugely helpful if you’ve got them available.
• * Names of both parents of the bride and the groom, if available
• * The names of the city and county where the marriage took place
  You will also need to provide information about why you are requesting the information and what you intend to do with the information if it is located.

Associated Payment Fees

All of the search fees that you submit with your search request form for a marriage record are non-refundable. These fees are set by the state statute and cannot be modified for special cases. When you submit the basic one year search fee, you will receive a certified copy of the marriage record you need. If, however, there is no record of a marriage filed with the state, then you will receive an official statement saying so.

It is important to note that if you have requested additional copies of the marriage record, and it is determined that there is no record of a marriage filed with the State of Michigan you will receive a refund check for the cost of the additional copies.

Regardless of your reason for searching Michigan marriage records, you are sure to have good luck finding the information that you need; especially if you’re looking for data between 1867 and today.