Whats the difference between public and confidential marriage license

A confidential marriage license allows all personal information on a marriage license to be protected from public . Once the marriage is officially recorded, this information will be available to the married couple only. This benefits anyone who wishes to avoid public record and to keep their information private.

There are two types of marriage licenses commonly issued in California. The public marriage license and confidential marriage license. In addition to the general requirements listed above, there are additional requirements for each of the licenses listed below.

You can have two witnesses sign the document, but it is not necessary. If a minister is a California notary public and is authorized by the county, he is able to issue a confidential marriage license, provided he offers the service.

While California Marriage Records are public, they represent some of the most difficult records to obtain due to the personal nature of the information within.