South Carolina Marriage Records Search

With more than 5 million population split between 46 counties, the state of South Carolina has an average record of about five marriages per 1000 residents. 

Although there has been a decrease in weddings in the past few years, South Carolina marriage records are crucial for many people as they are required for many legal purposes. 

For instance, immigration or property purchase/related questions need a couple to submit their South Carolina marriage records; they have to know where to find those. 

This is why this article will cover all aspects of how to find marriage records online in South Carolina and examine how you could run a free marriage records search.

South Carolina Marriage Records

South Carolina marriage records can be described as two documents: marriage license and marriage certificate. The purpose of obtaining a marriage license is that the couple must be checked before getting married. 

That means that the marriage license will be issued as proof if there are no legal, health, religious, or other restrictions. Remember that a marriage license must be obtained no later than 60 days before the ceremony. 

If the marriage occurs even one day later, then there is a need to issue a different marriage license. 

A marriage certificate, the second type of South Carolina marriage record, is used as official proof of the marriage because it contains the following information: personal and contact information on the spouses, including their occupation, parents, and witnesses. 

Another reason South Carolina marriage records, such as a marriage certificate, are vital is the marriage date and place. 

This is why most institutions would ask specifically for a marriage certificate when requesting to submit a South Carolina marriage record.

Who Is Eligible to Run a South Carolina Marriage Records Search?

Practically everyone. Every potential requestor who is older than 18 years is allowed to run a South Carolina marriage records search. However, it is not as easy as just requesting the information. 

Depending on the county and the type of service requested, one must pay the fee and submit a written application request to run a South Carolina marriage records search. 

However, the request must contain personal information about the requestor and his relationship with the party on the record (e.g., sibling, parent, etc.), information about the spouses, and the reason for the request. 

The following reasons for running a South Carolina marriage records search are valid: application for insurance proceeds or death benefits. 

Additionally, the color photo of the requestor must be attached to the application (ID, passport, or military-issued IDs would work.

Additionally, you must state your private contact information in case of refusal. 

Most state websites allow you to fill out an already created form for convenience. 

However, if you get a refusal to run a South Carolina marriage records search, you can always reapply. When you apply to obtain South Carolina marriage records online after refusal, ensure you have written permission from the spouses.

How to Find Marriage Records Online in South Carolina?

If you are interested in how to find marriage records online in South Carolina, you need to write down the following three websites. 

Using any website will enable you to find any South Carolina marriage records online without wasting time.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | (cdc.gov)

The CDC website is considered an intermediary which redirects a potential requestor to a direct state website where it will be possible to run a South Carolina marriage records search. 

The CDC is the best website to run a South Carolina marriage records search. 

It will give you all the information and links to the institutions which could provide you with the South Carolina marriage records online. 

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Website| (scdhec.gov)

SCDHEC website is one of the websites to which you get redirected by the CDC. You can find any South Carolina marriage records online and download or amend them. 

However, running a free marriage records search on the website is impossible. Depending on the county and the service, you will be charged a small fee per download.

Independent Platform | (backgroundcheck.co)

Sometimes the marriage records in South Carolina are not sufficient for the party running a South Carolina marriage records search. 

In this case, they might be interested in backing up their South Carolina marriage records search using a private search engine like backgroundcheck.co. 

The website enables access to information about education and employment history, along with the spouses' civil and criminal court records. 

However, it is worth mentioning that using the platform will not enable you to run a free marriage records search.

This article has explained how to find marriage records online in South Carolina. 

If you still have any questions, we recommend contacting any of the institutions mentioned in the article to get detailed information