Marriages records are part of vital records which are deemed as public files. Although public files are supposedly open to the public, New York marriage records are exempted because they are considered as private files. They are only open for access for the husband, the wife, and another person who has a documented judicial or other legal purpose.

An example of a proper purpose is when a marriage record is needed to claim a benefit. Documentation includes an official letter from the agency stating that they need the marriage record to process the claim.

The New York State Department of Health is in charge of preserving New York Marriage files. Certified copies of marriage certificates of marriages since 1881 are available at the Department of Health. They only keep files outside of the New York City. Marriages prior to 1881 have their marriage certificates available at the clerk of court where the marriage transpired. Certificates of marriages inside the 5 boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Kings, Queen, Bronx or Brooklyn, and Staten Island or Richmond) are found at the New York City Marriage Bureau. If the files are 50 years old or older, or if both the husband and the wife are dead, an uncertified copy can be issued.

There quite a lot of information that you need to provide to request a certified certificate. Information such as the groom's full name and birth date, bride's full maiden name and birth date, residence of the bride and groom, date and place of marriage, reason for requesting the record, proof of relationship to the couple, and proof of identity.

Marriage certificates can be requested at the New York State Department of Health be sending a mail or going there personally. Each certified copy cost $30 and an additional fee of $15 for priority handling. It entails a long time to process them in government agencies, good things you can also request a copy through a third-party record provider. Search the net for sites that offers service of providing the records. Make sure to review them first to find out if they suit your search needs or If they are free-of-charge or fee-based.

But before a marriage ceremony is done, a marriage license must be filed first. You can get a license as early as 14 years old provided that you have consent of both parents and a justice of the Supreme Court. A license is issued immediately but both the bride-to-be and the groom-t0-be should apply for it at the same time at any clerk office in the state. A license is valid for 60 calendar days and can only be used 24 hours after it was issued. All marriage license records are kept at the city clerk office where it was filed.