Massachusetts State Law: "Chapter 46: Return and registry of births, marriages and deaths" mandates that restricted marriage records are NOT public records and are NOT available for review, inspection, transcribing, or for purchasing certified copies by the general public.
What causes a marriage record to be restricted?
In short, if birth parents of either spouse, or both, were not married at the time of the spouse's birth, or, if an adoption took place and the name changed, the original birth record is restricted. This in turn causes the marriage certificate of that person to be restricted. Some agencies or city clerks also refer to these as impounded marriage records.
These records are restricted to the individuals named on the record, the birth parent(s) named on the record or a legal guardian.
Certificates can still be obtained directly by the subjects named, or the birth parents named on the record, or legal guardian, but this record type is not open to the public.
How do I get a copy of my restricted Massachusetts marriage certificate?
Well, it depends.
It's not difficult. It just depends on why you need the record and, where you currently live, as some states and agencies will only accept state certified copies and not city or town copies.
If you need the certificate for any official purpose, obtaining passports, processing "REAL ID" applications, providing proof of age, United States citizenship or dual citizenship, filing for divorce or obtaining social security benefits, you need a state certified marriage certificate.
State certified copies of restricted records can be obtained from the State Registrar of Vital Statistics in Boston.
A photo ID, as well as documentation as to the relationship to the subject, if not one of the subject's applying, is needed for the application.
A state certified copy is the most official copy one can obtain.
What if I don't need a state certified copy for an official purpose?
If you only need a certified copy for your own records, say for general information or for a family history project, a city or town marriage certificate should fill the need perfectly.
City or town certified marriage certificates are obtained by contacting the town or city clerk's office in Massachusetts in the town or city where the couple registered to get married.
Some of the larger cities, such as Worcester and Boston, have online marriage order forms on their websites, but many of the smaller towns, such as Granby, still only accept mail in or walk in applications.
The biggest plus of city/town certificates - they are generally less expensive than state certified copies. The biggest minus - they can take longer to obtain and are obviously less offical appearing than state copies.
Most importantly, they are not acceptable by some state agencies or for applying for drivers license and passports, especially if you live in Colorado or California or if you live outside of the country.
Structural Pluses for Enhanced Security of State Certified Marriage Records
- Embossed with Official Raised Massachusetts State Seal
- Signed by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics
- Contains the Original Date of Issue
- Stamped with Current Date of Issue
- Printed on Secure, Watermarked, Heavyweight Paper
- Embedded with a Scannable, Digital Bar-Code for Tracking
Recorded Information Highlights on State Certified Marriage Records
Note: All data related to father's information is sometimes missing on an out of wedlock marriage certificate.
- Subject's "A" name and gender
- Subject's "B" name and gender
- Month, day and year of marriage
- Exact place of marriage (often includes the church, the official, etc.)
- Birthplace and age of "subject A" - sometimes has specific birth date
- Names and birthplaces of the subject "A" parents
- Birthplace and age of "subject B" - sometimes has specific birth date
- Names and birthplaces of the subject "B" parents
- Occupation of subject's "A" and "B"
- Number of times married, divorced and or widowed (Does not provide former spouse's names)
