Connecticut - How to obtain a Marriage Certificate

ProcedureEdit

In Person or By Mail

Verify that you are eligible to receive the certificate that you are requesting.
Complete the application form and send it or bring it in person to the vital records office of the town or city where the marriage took place, or the town or city where the parties to the marriage resided at the time of marriage, or to the State Vital Records Office. Note: Connecticut regulations do not allow requests made by telephone.
Submit the completed form along with all the required documents.
Pay the processing fee.

Please note that no searches for vital record information will be conducted by the State office except in response to a submitted application and applicable payment for a vital record. If unsure about any detail of a requested record, such as the exact date or town where the event occurred, complete the application for the record as best as possible and submit it and the necessary payment to the State or town office. If no record of the requested event is found, the submitted payment will be returned to the sender.

Note: The State Vital Records Office does not accept credit cards or online orders for vital records.

Applying Online - VitalCheck

Go online and simply follow the steps to place an order. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted.

Vitalchek allows its customers to pay for certificates with a credit card and to track the status of ordered certificates that are sent by UPS overnight mail.

Required DocumentsEdit

Completed application form
A valid government issued photo I.D. to prove your identity

If a photographic identification is not available, copies of two (2) of the following documents can be substituted for it:

social security card;
social security card supplemented with either an employment identification card, a paycheck stub or a W-2 form. Providing the documents in this subdivision fully satisfies the identification requirements of this section;
automobile registration;
copy of utility bill showing name and current address;
checking account deposit slip or bank statement stating name and current address;
voter registration card;
valid government issued trade or professional license;
valid government issued firearm permit;
probation documents issued by a court or other government agency, pursuant to a criminal conviction;
letter from a government agency verifying identity. The letter shall be dated within six months prior to the date of the request;
release documentation from a correctional institution containing a photograph of the former inmate and a release date within 12 months prior to the date of the request;
birth certificate of the requester;
military discharge papers;
current school or college photographic identification; or
government issued photographic identification that has expired within 12 months prior to the date of the request.

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Connecticut Department of Public Health

Mailing Address:
Vital Records Office
410 Capitol Ave. MS#11VRS
Hartford, CT 06134-0308

State Vital Records Customer Service Hours of Operation:

Customer Service Window - Hours of Operation

410 Capitol Ave, 8:15AM to 3:45PM Monday - Friday

Telephone Customer Service - for birth, death and marriage certificates

Phone: (860) 509-7700 between the hours of 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm

Telephone Customer Service - for Paternity related questions

Phone (860) 509-7958 between the hours of 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm

Vital Records Fax: (860) 509-7964

Website

Certificates may also be obtained from your local county. Use the contact information below to inquire.

Fairfield County : Town Hall/Independence Hall 611/725 Old Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: 203-256-3000

Hartford County : 95 Washington Street Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: 203-566-3170

Litchfield County : PO Box 247 Litchfield, CT 06759
Phone: 203-567-0885

Middlesex County : 265 DeKoven Drive Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: 860-344-2966

New Haven County : 235 Church Street New Haven, CT 06510
Phone: 203-787-7908

New London County : 181 State Street New London, CT 06320
Phone: 860-447-5204

Tolland County : 69 Brooklyn Street Rockville, CT 06066-3643
Phone: 860-875-6294

Windham County : 155 Church Street Putman, CT 06260
Phone: 860-928-2779

EligibilityEdit

Marriage certificates issued in Connecticut are open to the general public.

Anyone over 18 years of age may request a copy of any Connecticut marriage certificate.

FeesEdit

Marriage Certificate: $20.00 fee for each certified copy requested at the state or town/city level

Remit a money order made payable to the town or city where the marriage took place. If you are sending your request to the State Vital Records Office, remit a postal money order or bank check made payable to Treasurer, State of Connecticut.'

ValidityEdit

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to UseEdit

Application For Copy of Marriage Certificate

Sample DocumentsEdit

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.

Processing TimeEdit

Requests submitted in person: you may obtain your certificate immediately.

The State Vital Records Office, current processing time is approximately six (6) to eight (8) weeks for requests that are received through the mail.

For faster processing, you may also obtain an official, certified copy of the certificate from the town where the event occurred, if a "State" certified copy of a vital record is not needed.

Expedited processing service is available on-line via VitalChek.

InstructionsEdit

A copy of a certified Connecticut vital record may be obtained directly from: the town where the event occurred, or from the state Vital Records Office.

The vital records registrar in each town is responsible for maintaining a registry of all births, marriages, civil unions, deaths and fetal deaths that occur within its town.

The State Vital Records Office at the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) maintains a statewide registry of all births, marriages, civil unions, deaths and fetal deaths that have occurred in CT since July 1, 1897.

Expedited service is also available for an additional fee for requests ordered on-line via VitalChek, itis the only third party vendor approved by Connecticut DPH to accept vital record orders.

Required InformationEdit

Individuals requesting a copy of a marriage certificate must provide basic information such as the names of the wife and husband, the approximate date of marriage, and the town in which the marriage took place, so that the proper marriage record can be identified.

If you are requesting a marriage certificate, the social security numbers of the bride and groom will not be included on the certificate that you receive, unless you are one of the spouses to the marriage.

Need for the DocumentEdit

Marriage is a legal contract binding two people together, granting them rights and obligations. A Marriage Certificate is an official statement that two people are married.

A copy of the marriage certificate is often necessary when you apply for administrative procedures such as obtaining a passport or applying for certain social benefits.

Following are procedures on how you can obtain a marriage certificate in Connecticut.

Information which might helpEdit

Enter other informations which might help

External LinksEdit

Connecticut Department of Public Website:

http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3132&q=388130&dphNav=%7C46940%7C

OthersEdit

The City of Hartford Vital Records Office and the State Vital Records Office are both located in the city of Hartford. If you intend to send a request to the City of Hartford for a vital event that took place in Hartford, you must send it to: 550 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103.
Do NOT send it to the address for the State Vital Records Office (also located in Hartford) unless you intend to purchase a state certified copy of your vital record.