Illinois Marriage License

By Ben Kingsley


Are you looking for a faster way to complete your genealogical research in a short span of time? Then the best option you have is to browse through Illinois marriage records.

The Illinois State Archives provides a database for those marriages which transpired in the entire state. In 1985, the Illinois State Genealogical Society has partnered with the state archives to bring together an index that comprises more than 1 million marriages and 2 million names. The sources for all the information which can be revealed from the database came from the marriage documents filed before the county clerks, and those files coming from different individuals and genealogical societies. Such marriage index can give you accounts of marriages that occurred from 1763 to 1900. In examining a certain nuptial record, the date that appears in the search result can either be the date when the marriage took place or the date when the marriage licensed was released.

In Illinois State, marriage decrees are identified as private records. The persons who are allowed to get a copy of such legal report are those individuals whose names appear in the nuptial file, or those people who can substantiate their interest in either the husband or the wife.

If you want to check-out a certain nuptial record in Illinois State, the proper place to go to is the Office of the County Clerk where the marriage happened. If you want to grab a copy of the said file, first and foremost, you need to complete the application from which you can find online. Be sure to supply all the details needed in the form and to enclose a photocopy of your state-issued photo ID. Your petition, together with the search free in the amount of $5.00 must be forwarded to the Vital Records Unit of the Illinois Department of Health. For requests via mail, you can pay the fee either by check or money order. If you opt to fax your request, payments are made through credit cards so you have to make sure that you indicate your credit card details, otherwise, your appeal will not be acknowledged. For credit card dealings, additional expenses covering freight and handling in the amount of $8.50 and $19.50 respectively are collected.

The state's Department of Health does not supply duplicate copies of Illinois marriage certificates but the agency can assist you by providing the list of county and clerk offices that you can visit. However, the said bureau preserves accounts of marriages beginning 1962 to present. You will be required to pay a fee of $5.00 if you want to search through the nuptial files or make verifications regarding the exact location where the event happened. The amount you paid will not be given back to you even if no record has been found.

Through the emergence of the worldwide web, you can always avail of the marriage records free even if you are in the ease of your own residence anytime of the day. You can experience a worry-free access to necessary facts without paying anything.




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