Marriage Licenses vs. Marriage Certifcates
When two people desire to get married, they are first required to obtain a marriage license. After the marriage ceremony, the marriage license is signed by the proper parties and sent back to the Clerk-Recorder's Office for recording. After it is recorded, customers may then purchase a certified copy of the marriage certificate.
What's Availabile
Certified Marriage Certificates may be purchased for PUBLIC marriages for which the license was purchased and recorded in Santa Clara County after the year 1851. Any person may purchase any public marriage license. Different rules apply to confidential marriage certificates, see Purchasing Confidential Marriage Certificates
If you aren't positive that the marriage certificate you wish to obtain is on file in Santa Clara County, you have the following options:
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Place an order for the certificate anyway on-line, by mail or by fax. (Note that if the requested certificate is NOT found, you will receive a Certificate of No Record, and the fee will be retained as a search fee.)
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Come to our office and search to see if a particular public marriage certificate is on file. You must have the full name of the bride and groom or Party A and Party B to perform this search. There is no Internet search available. If you are certain that the marriage occurred in Santa Clara County and did not find a match, it may be because:
- we have not yet received the certificate (we may receive it up to one year after the ceremony) OR
- the record is indexed differently than how you are typing it OR
- the marriage was licensed as a CONFIDENTIAL marriage not a PUBLIC marriage
Fees for Marriage Certificates
Public $13.00 each (Government Agency rate only: $9.00 each)
Methods for Obtaining Marriage Certificates
Marriage certificates may be ordered in person, by mail, or over the Internet.
YOU
ARE HERE › County Clerk-Recorder (DEP)
›
Marriage Certificate
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