Marriage Certificates

The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing marriage certificates in August 1936 for marriages that occurred in Alabama. (Information for marriages prior to August 1936 must be obtained from the probate office in the county where the marriage license was issued.)

Restrictions

By Alabama law, marriage certificates are unrestricted. They may be requested by anyone who can provide enough information to search for the record and submit payment of the proper fee.

Cost

The fee to search for a marriage certificate is $15.00, which includes one certified copy of the marriage certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $6.00. Check or money order should be made payable to "State Board of Health." Please do not send cash. Fees are non-refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service.

Information Required

Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the marriage certificate:

How to Obtain an Existing Marriage Certificate

Corrections/Changes to Marriage Certificates

Errors on a marriage certificate must be corrected through the Alabama county probate court which issued the marriage license or recorded the marriage certificate. Please contact the appropriate probate office for more information.

Apostille and Exemplified Copies

Apostille and Exemplified copies of vital records are routinely required for foreign use. The Apostille and Exemplified copies consist of an Alabama birth, death, marriage, or divorce certificate signed by the State Registrar and an additional certification signed by the Alabama Secretary of State. Certain restrictions apply to Apostille and Exemplified copies of birth and death certificates. For more information on Apostille and Exemplified copies, view the Apostille and Exemplified page.

Not Married in Alabama

The National Center for Health Statistics has information on vital records for all states. For more information, view the Link to Other State Information page.

Questions

If you are completing a new marriage certificate, have you checked the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)? Your question may be answered there.

If you have other questions or would like information on expediting a certified copy of an existing marriage certificate, please call (334) 206-5418.

Page last updated: April 5, 2022