certificate of marriage

Marriage certificates are used for many reasons such as a spouse being added onto health benefits. You can purchase a certified copy of your marriage certificate in person at the County Clerk-Recorder’s office at:

555 County Center, First Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063

Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please book an appointment by calling 650.599.1713 or click here

Marriage certificates may also be purchased by mail. Mailed requests must be notarized and must include the names of the bride and groom (or Party A and Party B if after June 17, 2008) as they appeared on the marriage license, the date of the marriage and the office where the license was purchased.

Marriage certificates can only be purchased in the same county where the license was purchased, regardless of where the wedding ceremony took place. The request should include the address to which the certificate is to be mailed and a daytime contact telephone number.

Application for Certified Copy of Marriage Record
Please use this application for your convenience.

Mail the application with the required payment in a pre-printed check (payable against a USA bank) or money order only to the above address- Attn: Vital Records. Make checks payable to San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder.

Processing time may take several days. Please expect to receive your copies via regular mail in approximately two weeks. If you wish to expedite your request, you may opt to send it via overnight mail. To do so, include a pre-paid overnight return envelope with your request letter and check. Certificates from the years 1856 to 1964 may require an additional one to two days for processing.

Acknowledgements executed by Notaries Public outside of the U.S.A. are not accepted. Sworn Statement must be taken before an Ambassador, Minister, Consul, Vice Consul or Consular Agent of the United States, or before any Judge of a Court of record having a seal in such foreign country (CA CCP 2014).

San Mateo County does not accept online orders; however, for your convenience, you can make online requests through an independent company that we have partnered with to provide you this service: VitalChek Network, Inc.

VitalChek can be reached through its website. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® and Visa®.

Requests for pre-1966 Marriage Records

Marriage record requests for documents prior to 1966 require a 24-hour notice to retrieve from our off-site facility. Persons wanting to order copies of these records are requested to fill out an Application for Certified Copy of Marriage Record. Copies of this form is available above and in our office.

Marriage record will be available the following business day upon receipt of the application.

Vital Records Fees Application for Certified Copy of Marriage Record Order Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates Online through VitalChek