New OC Clerk-Recorder pilot program will make it easier to get marriage certificates

ORANGE COUNTY CLERK-RECORDER LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP EXPEDITE THE ORDERING OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES

(Santa Ana, Calif.) — Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen is launching a pilot program that will allow couples to pre-pay for their marriage certificates upon completion of their marriage ceremony. This program will only be implemented at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana and will only apply to couples who have a ceremony performed by one of the department’s deputy commissioners of marriage on site.

The program’s goals are to help eliminate confusion as to when a couple’s marriage certificate is available for purchase, eliminate the need for couples to return to the office to purchase their certificate or request it via mail, reduce the number of phone calls to the department’s information line and help shorten lines at the department offices. It will also help eliminate the need for couples to mail in a notarized application.

“We are always looking for ways to better serve the public by making our office more efficient, making the process easier and saving taxpayers both time and money,” Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen said. “Getting married is a joyful event. I hope this program eliminates some of the stress by making it easier for couples to obtain their certificates. This is one less thing that the newlyweds have to worry about.”

Typically, couples visit the office to obtain a marriage license and/or have a ceremony performed. Once the ceremony is performed and the license is recorded, it can take up to seven business days to have the marriage certificate ready for purchase. Often times, couples think that they have already paid for a marriage certificate and expect it to be mailed out to them automatically not realizing that they still need to request the certificate in person or through the mail.

Depending on the success of the program, it may be expanded to the department’s other branch offices in the future.

To take advantage of this program, please visit the department’s Marriage Services Unit inside the Old County Courthouse at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Rm. 201 in Santa Ana.

To learn more about the services offered at the Clerk-Recorder Department or to find out where our convenient office locations are, please visit us online at OCRecorder.com.