Access Free Hidalgo County Marriage Records (Texas)

Access and request free Hidalgo County marriage records seamlessly using this resource for guidance.

Like other government documents, access to inspect and copy marriage records is provided through the Texas Public Information Act. The law does not require a specific purpose for accessing these marriage records. It may be as part of a person’s process in their genealogy search or to handle a business claim or some other related legal matter. However, often, people search for marriage records purely out of curiosity.

Whatever your reason, it’s important to understand the types of marriage records that can be requested, where to find them and how to access them. This article will answer all these questions to ensure you are thoroughly prepared to search for marriage records in Hidalgo County.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Acquire Hidalgo County Marriage Records on Anyone

A citizen can inspect and copy marriage records through the Hidalgo County Clerk. If you want to conduct a broad search of marriage records in Hidalgo County, your starting point is the Clerk’s Official Records Search Tool. To search, select “marriage” under the record types option on the left-hand side.

Next, you can choose to enter a date range. If you have additional information, you can use the advanced search option.

From there, you can enter a person’s name for a list of matching search results. The results page will provide the names of the applicants, when they were married and when it was officially recorded.

You can also view the license number, book, and page number for the record’s physical location. If you click on a party’s name, you can see a PDF of the original marriage certificate for certain records.

To request a copy of a marriage certificate, you can complete their online request for a certified copy of the license.² You will have to provide the name of both parties to the record as well as the date of marriage. A requester will also have to provide their contact information. This information can also be provided by mail or in-person to the address below:

Hidalgo County Clerk
P.O. Box 58
100 North Closner
Edinburg, Texas 78540

A certified copy of a marriage record costs $17.00, and another $7.00 for each additional copy. For any additional information about searching and requesting marriage records, you can contact the Hidalgo County Clerk.

To reach their office, call them at 956-318-2100 or by email at [email protected]. Their office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The next section will discuss how to access archived marriage records for genealogy purposes.

How Do I Access Historical Records of Marriage in Hidalgo County Texas?

Whether you are conducting a genealogy search or some other reason, you may need archived Hidalgo County marital records. Archived records may be more challenging to locate so it’s important to know how to access these specific types of documents.

For archived marriage records in Hidalgo County, your best option is to search with the Clerk’s Office, as you can do for newer documents. Hidalgo County does not have a separate archives office that maintains marriage records.

A citizen can use the Clerk’s Records Search Tool as a starting point. You can also contact them to ask about their archived marriage records by emailing them at [email protected] or by phone at 956-318-2100. They are available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

You may have exhausted your government resources in Hidalgo County but are still looking for an archived marriage record. At this point, you have a couple of options.

First, you can check with local libraries, religious institutions and historical societies. They may have marriage records tucked away in various resources, even old newspapers.

The second option is to use a state resource. One state resource you can check with is the Texas State Library Archives Commission.³ To see if they have the marriage records you are looking for, send an email to [email protected] or call them at 512-463-5474. If the records you are looking for are available to search, you can go in person to the address below:

Texas State Archives
1201 Brazos St.
Austin, Texas 78701

Additionally, you can check with the Texas State Archives Family History Center.

Whether new or archived, there are other types of records you can search for, including common-law marriages. A common-law marriage occurs when a couple is recognized as married without getting a marriage license or having a wedding ceremony. Common-law marriages are legal in Texas, although other types of similar marital relationships are not (e.g., domestic partnerships, civil unions).

How To View Marriage Records That Took Place Anywhere in Texas

Whatever your reason, you may have a need to broaden your search from Hidalgo County to the entire state of Texas. You may have conducted a Hidalgo County marriage record search of and failed to find the information you were looking for, or maybe you just want to know what your options are.

While you can certainly search with government agencies from county to county, there is a more encompassing option. A citizen can request a marriage record from anywhere in the state through the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services. This office provides two services: marriage indexes and formal verifications.

The most widely accessible option is to search through their compilation of Texas marriage indexes.⁴ These indexes start in 1966 and are organized by year. Anyone can view these indexes, which will provide a record seeker with the names, ages, marriage dates and location of anyone married in Texas.

Certain people can also request a marriage verification from the Vital Statistics Section. This verification is provided to anyone listed on the original marriage certificate, along with the following people:

• Spouse
• Parent or Guardian
• Child
• Grandparent
• Legal Representative
• A person with authority through court order or verifiable interest

A marriage verification can be ordered online, by mail or in person. A citizen can complete their online request for vital records and expect to receive your marriage verification in 20 to 25 business days.⁵ For mail or in-person requests, you can complete their Mail Application for Marriage Record.

You can bring this completed application to any Vital Statistics Office location or mail it to the address below:

Texas Vital Statistics
Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, Texas 78711

If you need additional help, look through the Marriage FAQ page or contact them with your questions.⁶ You can call them at 888-963-711 or via email at [email protected]. For phone calls, the office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

How To Obtain a Marriage License in Hidalgo County

Getting married is an exciting time in a person’s life. However, there are some administrative tasks you need to take care of first.

The first step is figuring out how to apply for a marriage license. In Hidalgo County, you can apply for a marriage license through the County Clerk.

To apply for a marriage license, you can start by submitting a Hidalgo County marriage license application online. You will need to provide the name, address and contact information (email and phone) for both applicants.

You will also need to include the social security number, date of birth and location (city, state, county and country) for each applicant. There are also questions that need to be answered to determine your eligibility.

Once you complete your online application, you have three days to finalize your marriage application in person. Alternatively, you can also fill out an Application for a Marriage license which is available at the County Clerk’s Marriage License Department located at the address below:

Hidalgo County Clerk
Marriage Licenses Department
317 North Closner Boulevard
Edinburg, Texas 78541

Both parties need to finalize their marriage license application together in person. If not, the applicant that goes to the Clerk’s Office will have to provide an Affidavit of Absent Application.⁸

When you go in person, you will have to provide valid government-issued identification to verify both your name and age. Some examples include a driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, and state or military ID.

The general prerequisite for obtaining a marriage license is to be at least 18 years old and not divorced in the last 30 days. Exceptions can be granted if you have decided to remarry someone you just divorced.

Once the Hidalgo County Clerk grants you a marriage license, you will have a 72-hour waiting period before you can formally finalize your marriage. However, this can be waived upon the completion of an approved premarital course (within the past year) or because one of the applicants is currently on active duty in the armed forces.⁹ A judge also has the option of waiving this requirement.

The additional timing issue you need to be aware of is that the license expires 90 days after it was issued. If you do not get married in that timeframe, you will have to start the process over.

In Hidalgo County, it costs $82.00 to apply for a marriage license. However, the fee can be reduced to $22.00 when a couple has completed the premarital course mentioned earlier.

For additional information, you can contact the Hidalgo County Clerk by phone at 956-318-2100. They are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

With the information above, you are ready to apply for a marriage license. You can also effectively search a variety of Hidalgo County marriage records by using the tools and resources outlined in this article.