Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Iowa Public Records Search Free Online

By Ben Kingsley


In obtaining vital records in the State of Iowa, there are two agencies where you can go. You can request access of vital records either from the Department of Public Health specifically the Vital Records Division or from the District Clerk's office where the vital event transpired. All state agencies and institutions are held responsible for the public according to the Public Records law This means that records made and maintained by such agencies are public and are accessible by any member of the public in need. Free Iowa public records include births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths that are recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.

When appealing for a vital record, you have to fill out an application form. For birth records, provide the full name of the person, date and place of birth, full name of father and the mother. For death certificates, include the full legal name of the deceased, date and county of death, sex, date of birth, name of spouse and of parents. For divorce and marriage records, include the county where the event was filed and granted or where the license was issued. In obtaining any of these records, you have to provide your personal details, your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting, the reason for your request, and your notarized signature. Written requests for certified copies of vital records will not be accepted unless they include a clear photocopy of the applicant's current government-issued photo ID and the applicant's notarized signature.Also, a personal check or money order should be made payable to the Department of Public Health.

Government records only available from such agencies are those that cover the years 1880 to present. The processing fee for birth, marriage, and death records is around $15 for each vital record stated. Deaths that are recorded prior to 1904 do not include the parent's name of the decedent though. Divorce decrees, on the other hand, require a processing fee of $6 but such fee varies from county to county. Divorce records should be obtained from the office of the county clerk in the county where the divorce was file and ratified. Bear in mind that the state's law limits access of such records to the registrants and family members only, genealogists representing the family, or others with a tangible interests such as those conducting background checks.

The processing time for records requests is 4 to 6 weeks depending on what method is utilized. There are several ways on how you can obtain vital records. You can get a copy of vital records in the State of Iowa in person, via phone, mail, or online. If you want to apply for a copy in person, you can go to their office directly along with the aforementioned requirements and the results will be mailed to you the following business day.

Should you wish to get a copy via phone, you can obtain their phone number from the state's Department of Public Health website. The processing time is currently 7 to 21 days depending on the volume of requests in their office. In case your request is returned to you via regular mail, expect another 5 business days to reach you. For orders sent by mail, anticipate that mail orders may take an average of 5 business days to reach the Vital Records Office, and another 5 business days to be returned to you. The processing time for such request depends on the number of requests received and may take up to 20 business days during high volume times. Genealogy requests are accepted only by mail and will require a minimum of 30 business days processing.

If you want to obtain vital records with ease and deftness, then pull a quick online record review. The State's Bureau of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Health has affiliated with an independent company called VitalCheck to provide online services. An additional fee is charged by VitalCheck though for such service. Moreover, if you want to obtain government records free of charge, then you can resort to other independent online records providers. Online record providers range from free to fee based. They only require you a minimal fee and with such fee, you can already have access to their database where all government records in the state can be obtained. What's more, instead of the usual days to month turnaround time, they can give you comprehensive results in just minutes. Indeed, with such providers, you will be able to save money, time, and effort.




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