So you tied the knot in the state of Alaska or someone you know may have gotten married there. Either way, getting access to both marriage certificates does seem rather daunting. However, there are sufficient and effective ways to obtain Alaska County Marriage Records and other vital documents in the state. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, through its Bureau of Vital Statistics division, houses all marital reports in the state since the 1890s. But a significant number of events before 1930 were never filed and registered with the agency. Marriage licenses in Alaska are not available to the public; instead they will be getting a copy of the marriage certificate, which pretty much contains the same information.
All the important data that is listed in a standard marriage license are also found in its corresponding marriage certificate. The certificate’s main purpose is to validate or certify the facts of the event. So even if you only receive a copy of your marriage certificate and not the marriage license itself, the document is still as official as any government certified report. For those of you conducting research and all you are after is factual information, a marriage certificate from the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics should be sufficient enough.
If you checkout the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ official website, you can learn about the various services that the agency has to offer to its citizens. In the Division of Public Health page, you can click on the Bureau of Vital Statistics portal to find the steps, procedures, and requirements you need to take to apply for a marital record request. In addition to marriage certificates, the bureau also stores, maintains, and disseminates records of birth, death, and divorces. Adoption records are also available in this office, in case you are interested.
Like most vital documents, however, birth certificates, death reports, marriage accounts, and divorce decrees have a set amount of time before they can be fully open to the public. Birth certificates, for example, have to be at least a hundred years old before third party access can be authorized. In the case of death reports, divorce decrees, and marriage certificates, third party requesters must wait fifty years after the date of the event before they can have complete access to the document. Only authorized personnel such as the next of kin and approved government employees can obtain a recent copy of a vital document.
Applicants have two basic options when submitting their requests. One is through conventional mail; the other is through online methods. In the Bureau of Vital Statistics page, you can download a digital application form in PDF format. You will need to complete this form and submit it accordingly via email or through postal mail using a self-addressed envelope. A personal check or money order in the amount of $25 must be included in the application. Ordering additional copies of the same record at the same time will cost you an extra $20.
In contrast, independent record search websites will only require you to pay a one-time fee in exchange for unlimited access to the service’s comprehensive public record database, from your own marital record to other people’s birth certificates or death reports. Granted that going through proper channels when obtaining vital documents is sound, the convenience and cost-efficiency that these online record providers offer are far too great to ignore.