FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REGARDING THE ALABAMA MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE
HOW TO RECORD AN ALABAMA MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE (Continued)
Q. Can I send my completed Alabama Marriage Certificate directly to the
Center for Health Statistics for filing?
A. No, Marriage Certificates must be delivered to an Alabama county probate court for
recording, not the Center for Health Statistics. Marriage Certificate forms sent directly to
the Center for Health Statistics will be returned to the sender without being
recorded or filed.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE COPIES AND CORRECTIONS
Q. Will the probate court provide me with a certified copy of my Marriage
Certificate after it has been recorded?
A. Some probate courts currently provide a certified copy of the Marriage Certificate
to couples and have announced that they will continue to do so, but the practice is
different from county to county.
Q. How do I get additional certified copies of my Marriage Certificate?
A. After the probate court records the Marriage Certificate, the original certificate will
be forwarded to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Center for Health
Statistics. Once the original certificate has been received and filed in the Center for
Health Statistics, you may request certified copies of your certificate through that office.
For instructions on how to request certified copies of your certificate in person, online or
by mail, visit the Center’s website at
http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/marriage- certificates.html.
Q. If I or my spouse made a mistake in the information we provided on the
Marriage Certificate, can we make corrections to the Marriage Certificate
after it has been filed with the probate court?
A. Yes, you can make corrections to your filed Marriage Certificate. To do so, you must
complete a form called “Amendment to Alabama Marriage Certificate and Decree of
Correction.” You may obtain that form from an Alabama county probate court. The
form must be completed, signed and notarized by both spouses and presented to an
Alabama probate court for filing. You will need to pay another recording fee to the
court at that time. After recording, the court will forward the amendment to the
Alabama Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Statistics. The amendment
will be permanently attached to and issued with the original Marriage Certificate when
certified copies are requested through the Center for Health Statistics. See the
Frequently Asked Question about obtaining additional certified copies of a Marriage
Certificate for more information.
Question not answered above? Call the Center for Health Statistics at (334) 206-2714.