Connecticut Marriage Records

The state-wide record keeping of marriage records began in July 1897, when Connecticut mandated centralized registration of vital records. Before this, each town or city clerk maintained its own marriage records, with some records dating back to the mid-1600s.

Connecticut marriage records are the official documents that legally validate the union of two individuals in the state. Recent data shows that Connecticut has a marriage rate of 6.2 marriages per 1,000 residents. Its rate aligns with the national average of 6.2 marriages per 1,000 people.

Marriage records in Connecticut consist of two distinct documents, including:

• Marriage License: A marriage license is a pre-wedding document. It is issued by the county clerk of court, giving two people legal permission to be joined together in marriage. Marriage licenses contain information about the couple to be married. It includes information such as their full names, gender, date of birth, county of residence, addresses, license number, issue date, and license expiration date.
• Marriage Certificate: A marriage certificate is a post-wedding document. It is a document that proves that two individuals have been legally joined together in marriage. After the wedding ceremony, the officiant returns the marriage license to the county clerk's office, where it is filed and recorded that the marriage took place. The county clerk then generates the marriage certificate. Marriage certificates valid for legal transactions contain information such as the couple's full name, gender, ages, officiant's information, certificate number, and security features validating the record's authenticity.

Connecticut also issues Civil Union Certificates. It is a document given to same-sex couples and may be converted to marriage certificates upon request by the couple.

How To Look Up Marriage Records in Connecticut?

Connecticut marriage records are accessible as follows:

• Marriage certificates from July 1, 1897, to date are available at the Connecticut Department of Health Vital Records Office.
• All marriage records, including licenses and certificates, are accessible at the local Vital Records Office in the town or city where the marriage license was purchased.

You may purchase certified copies of marriage certificates from the State's Vital Records Office by completing the Request for a Certified Copy of Marriage Record - State Application form. Mail the completed application to:

Record seekers may order marriage records from the local town clerk's office. Fill out the Request for a Certified Copy of Marriage Record - Town/City Vital Records form. Mail the request to the appropriate town or city clerk's office. The office also accepts in-person requests for marriage records.

You may also order certified copies of marriage records from an approved third-party provider. An additional fee applies when using this service. Generally, all requests for Connecticut marriage records must include the following information and documentation:

• The full name of the couple
• The exact marriage date
• A valid government-issued ID
• Proof of relationship to the record holder
• The fees

Are Marriage Records Public in Connecticut?

Marriage records are public records in Connecticut. Unlike states that require a waiting period before marriage records become public, once marriage records are filed and registered in Connecticut, they become public records. To this end, any person 18 years or older may view or obtain certified copies of marriage records in the state.

However, while the state permits the openness of marriage records, not all information on the document is available to the public. Generally, personal information, such as the couple's Social Security numbers and home addresses, is redacted from the document to protect their privacy and prevent misuse of personal information.

How Much Do Connecticut Marriage Records Cost?

Connecticut charges a uniform rate to obtain marriage certificates. Whether the document is obtained at the State or Local Vital Records Offices, it costs $ 20 to purchase a certified copy of a marriage record. Record requests ordered online attract a fee of $20 for the marriage certificate, plus additional processing and shipping fees.

Marriage certificates ordered at the State Vital Records Office are typically processed within 12 weeks. Record requests at the local Vital Records Offices are processed faster, around 6 - 8 weeks.

There is no expedited processing for marriage records in Connecticut. If you need the document urgently, order the record online, which typically has a processing period of 1 - 2 business days for expedited processing and 7 business days for standard processing.

Is It Possible to Make Your Marriage Records Confidential in Connecticut?

Connecticut does not offer a general confidential marriage license and certificate like California, which allows couples to keep their marriage records private by default.

However, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or child endangerment who have relocated away from their abuser and enrolled in Connecticut's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) can have their marriage records restricted from the public. To seal the record, they must present the ACP certification card with their spouse at the town registry when applying for the marriage license. Connecticut law provides no mechanism outside the ACP for sealing marriage records.

How Do I Verify the Authenticity of Connecticut Marriage Records?

Beyond proving that you are married, a Connecticut marriage license is useful for other purposes, including processing visas and travel documents, researching your family's history, and filing for tax benefits. You may also verify the authenticity of your marriage record when enrolling for insurance coverage, claiming inheritance and probate rights, changing your legal name, and terminating a marriage.

To this end, you may verify the legitimacy of your marriage record at the State Vital Records Office or any of the local Vital Records Offices. Generally, authenticated marriage certificates contain features that prevent the document from forgery. These features include the registrar's signature, raised or embossed seal indicating an official copy, and the State Vital Records Office watermark to prevent easy duplication of the document.

Can I Find Connecticut Marriage Records Online for Free?

Generally, obtaining copies of marriage records at the state or local level requires record seekers to pay a fee. Therefore, if you aim to view marriage records for free, you can use these online resources to help you achieve this without cost.

FamilySearch.org is a nonprofit genealogy service that provides access to Connecticut marriage records, including index and digitized images from 1630 - 1997. It also provides a guide on how to find Connecticut town and state marriage records. While the service is free, the platform requires users to create an account to access the records.

Ancestry.com offers proprietary indexes you can search for free. The platform provides a searchable index of state-filed records with names, race, age, and officiant information from 1897 - 1968. It also has a marriage index created from the Department of Public Health's data showing file numbers and exact dates from 1959 - 2012.

PublicRecords.us aggregates vital records from multiple sources to provide a free searchable directory of marriage records, including Connecticut marriage records. You can view basic marriage information at no cost. However, detailed access may require a very small fee.

What Is Required to Get a Connecticut Marriage License?

Persons planning on getting married in Connecticut may fulfill certain legal requirements, including:

• Both parties must be 18 years old
• Persons aged between 16 and 17 may get married only with parental consent and approval from the Probate Court
• Be present together at the town clerk's office
• Provide a valid government-issued photo ID
• If married before, provide a copy of the divorce decree or death certificate
• The marriage license fees

It costs $50 to obtain a marriage license throughout Connecticut. Marriage licenses are effective immediately when they are issued by the town clerk. Couples can get married immediately. However, the license is valid for 65 days from the date of issue. If the couple fails to get married within that window, the license expires.

Can You Amend Marriage Records in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, you may correct an error made on your marriage record within one year of the issue of the document and amend the error if the document has been issued for over a year. Under Connecticut law, you may correct the following on your marriage certificate or license within one year from the issue date:

• Inaccurate or incomplete informant data, such as a wrong address or missing birthplace
• Transcribing errors, including the digits of the marriage date, were entered incorrectly
• Omissions. Information left blank that should have been filed in

For records issued above one year, the following amendments may be made:

• All the errors listed above
• Legal name changes by court order
• Paternity or parentage adjustments

All amendments must be supported by an affidavit and documentary proof such as a court order, hospital record, or school record.

Amending the Connecticut Marriage License

You may correct errors on your marriage license before your wedding, at the Registrar of Vital Statistics in the town or city where you applied for the license, usually at the town or city clerk's office. To correct the document, submit a written request describing the error. Include a notarized affidavit that affirms that the existing information is incorrect or incomplete and that the replacement data provided is true.

Both parties must reappear at the office to submit the request for correction. There is no fee to correct marriage licenses in Connecticut.

Amending the Connecticut Marriage Certificate

Spouses and former spouses may correct errors on their marriage certificate by contacting the town or city registrar's office where the marriage certificate was filed. Submit a sworn, notarized affidavit stating that the existing certificate is incorrect and that the new information provided is true. Mail or submit the amendment request application and supporting documents to the town clerk's office.

Amended marriage records are usually marked as "Amended" in Connecticut. There is no fee to process the amendment request. After amending the record, the town clerk forwards the amended certificate to the State Vital Records Office.