Are Arizona Vital Records Open to the Public?
In Arizona, vital records are generally considered confidential by statutory law and thus may only be inspected or obtained by authorized parties.
What Information Shows Up in Arizona Vital Records?
Arizona Vital Records are official documents that record important life events in Arizona. These records are maintained and issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), specifically by the Bureau of Vital Records. Vital records include documents related to births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. They serve as legal proof and can be used for various purposes, such as obtaining identification documents, genealogical research, or settling estate matters.
How Do I Obtain Arizona Vital Records?
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is responsible for maintaining vital records in the state. Vital records requests can be made online, by mail, or in person to local county health departments or court clerks. To obtain a vital record in Arizona, parties must complete a vital records request form specific to the record in question. Parties must also pay associated search and copy fees. Requesters may also need to provide legal identification before they are granted access.
What Do I Need to Obtain Arizona Vital Records?
Interested parties who wish to obtain copies of vital records in Arizona are typically required to be at least 18 years of age and have adequate proof of identity, usually a government-issued photo ID. In addition, Arizona is a closed records state, so vital records may only be obtained by authorized parties who can demonstrate a direct and tangible interest in the record.
How to Obtain Arizona Vital Records Online
Interested parties who wish to search records of Arizona vital events online will be required to provide any information necessary to expedite the records search. This information may include:
- The name of the registrant on the record
- The date the vital event occurred
- The city or county the event took place
- The event's location
Publicly available vital records are managed and disseminated by some third-party aggregate sites. These sites are generally not limited by geographical record availability and may serve as a convenient jump-off point when researching specific or multiple records. However, third-party sites are not government-sponsored. As such, record availability may differ from official channels. To find a record using the search engines on third-party sites, the requesting party will be required to provide:
- The location of the record in question, including the city, county, or state where the case was filed.
- The name of someone involved, provided it is not a juvenile.
Requesters must provide relevant information associated with the record to conduct an online search for vital records. Some of these include:
- The registrant's name
- Date of the event
- Place of the event
- City or county where the life event occurred
- First and last name of parents
- Presiding judge (for marriage or divorce records)
Certified Copy vs Informational Copy: Understanding the Difference?
The main difference between a certified record and an informational record is in its use. For example, a person may use a certified copy of a record for legal purposes, such as for official identification while an informational copy of the same record may not be used for the same purpose.
Are Arizona Marriage Records Public Information?
Yes. Arizona marriage records are generally considered public records and may be accessed by any member of the public.
How Do I Obtain Marriage Records in Arizona?
Interested parties who wish to obtain copies of public marriage records in the state of Arizona may do so by contacting the clerk of the superior court for the county where the marriage occurred. To aid public members with this task, the Arizona judicial branch maintains an online directory that contains contact information on all the courts located in the state.
Requestors may be required to pay a fee before obtaining copies of these records. In addition to this, parties who are interested in getting copies of marriage records and are unable to contact the office of the record custodian may also do so online through the use of third-party websites. However, these sites do not provide certified copies of vital records, and they offer this service for a fee.
How to Get an Arizona Marriage Certificate
An Arizona marriage certificate is issued to certify a couple's marriage in the state. It is a type of marriage record issued following a marriage ceremony.
To obtain a marriage certificate in Arizona, inquirers must first determine where the marriage occurred and query the County Clerk’s Office or the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the marriage was performed. When the application is processed, the certificate may be mailed to the requester or made available for pick-up in person, depending on the county's procedures.
It is worth noting that the processing times and requirements may vary between counties. Hence, inquirers are advised to visit the relevant county's website or contact their office for specific information and guidance.
Are Arizona Divorce Records Public Information?
Yes. Arizona divorce records are generally considered court records and thus are open to public members. However, a judge may deem it fit to grant a petition to seal a divorce record in some cases. Such actions usually occur when the record contains information that is considered confidential by state law, such as information identifying a minor and a victim of domestic abuse. When this happens, such records may only be accessed by authorized parties.
How Do I Obtain Divorce Records in Arizona?
Interested persons may obtain copies of public divorce records online by utilizing a third-party service. In addition, interested parties can also access copies of divorce records by contacting the clerk’s office at the court where the divorce record is domiciled. Payment of a fee is usually required before applicants can obtain copies of these records.
How to Get a Certified Divorce Certificate in Arizona
Certified Arizona divorce records are available through the office of the county clerk in the jurisdiction where the divorce occurred. However, the requestor must provide information to prove their eligibility to access the certified document - in this case, it will be valid identification as well as information required to facilitate the record search.
Are Arizona Birth Certificates Public?
No. Birth certificates are not public in Arizona.
Are Arizona Birth Records Public Information?
Arizona birth records are limited to members of the public and may only be obtained by any of the following parties:
- A registrant on the record who is at least 18 years old. Registrants below the age of 18 are required to provide proof of emancipation
- A registrant’s parent, grandparent, spouse, adult child, adult grandchild, or adult sibling
- A registrant’s legal guardian
- An attorney representing any of the parties mentioned above
- A party with appropriate legal authority empowering them to obtain the record. Such parties include but are not limited to parties with a power of attorney, conservators, and adoption agencies.
How Do I Obtain Arizona Birth Records?
Interested parties who wish to order birth certificate replacements from the Arizona Department of Health Services must complete an application for a certified copy of a birth certificate. Applicants should submit this form via mail to:
Bureau of Vital Records
P.O. Box 6018
Phoenix, AZ 85005
Interested parties that wish to obtain these records in person must visit the local county Department of Health. They may glean contact information for these offices from the application form provided above. Finally, requestors may also obtain these records through a third-party website. This method provides interested parties with the advantage of accessing these records remotely. Copies of birth records typically cost $20. Parties who utilize the online process to obtain these records may be required to pay an additional service charge.
Are Arizona Death Records Open to the Public?
There are no public death records in Arizona. Death records are considered confidential records and may only be accessed by authorized parties, which include:
- A member of the decedent’s immediate family members who are at least 18 years old (this includes grandparents and grandchildren)
- An attorney or any legal representative of any of the parties mentioned above
- Any party with appropriate legal authority empowering them to obtain the record.
How Do I Obtain Death Records in Arizona?
Eligible persons may conduct a death record search online by utilizing the services of a third-party vendor. Interested parties may also obtain these records by completing an application for a certified copy of death certificate. Applicants may request a death record search by name in person at the office of vital records located in local county health departments or directly to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Arizona death certificates are also disbursed by the hospital where the death was confirmed. The state Department of Health also accepts mail-in submissions of the form to:
Bureau of Vital Records
P.O. Box 6018
Phoenix, AZ 85005
Copies of death records obtained from the Arizona Department of Health cost $20 per copy. This fee may vary when these records are obtained in person at any of the local county health departments.
How Do I Obtain Sealed Vital Records in Arizona?
Adoption records are sealed in the state of Arizona and may only be accessed by court order. Adoptive parents who wish to obtain a copy of a birth certificate after adoption may send a written request to the Arizona Department of Health Services. This request should include a complete application for certified copy of birth certificate and adoption worksheet. In addition to these, requestors must include a certified final decree of adoption from the superior court where the adoption was granted. They must also include a $30 fee and an extra $20 for every additional copy of the record requested. This fee should be in the form of money orders, attorney’s company business check, Visa or MasterCard. Cash payments are not accepted. The adoptive parents may only include the completed application form and all applicable fees for adoptions that have already been processed. Applicants should submit these items via mail to:
Bureau of Vital Records
Attn: Adoptions
P.O. Box 6018
Phoenix, AZ 85005
Per ARS Title 8-134, interested parties may access sealed adoption records by utilizing the services of a Confidential Intermediary. Any information obtained by the confidential intermediary is considered confidential and may only be shared between parties after written content has been obtained from both the party that initiated the search for records and the party that is the subject of the records search. Parties who are statutorily permitted to utilize the services of a confidential intermediary include:
- An adoptee who is at least 18 years old
- The adoptive parents or legal guardians of an adoptee who is at least 18 years old
- The spouse of a deceased adoptee, if the spouse is the parent or legal guardian of any of the adoptee’s offspring.
- Any adult offspring of a deceased adoptee
- An adoptee’s birth parents, adult siblings, biological grandparents, and any other member of the adoptee’s extended biological family.
What are Vital Statistics in Arizona?
Vital statistics are data related to significant life events collected, recorded, and analyzed by government agencies. In Arizona, vital statistics are collated and maintained by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) through its Bureau of Vital Records. The primary purpose of vital statistics is to provide accurate, timely, and comprehensive information on these events to support public health, planning, and policy-making. They are especially useful for resource allocation and disease control.
