The Freedom of Information act has mandated the local government of each state, including the state of Missouri, to allow their local residents access to their personal documents. Since then, the public records Missouri generates for its people are made open and accessible by the public whenever they need it. Birth and death certificate, marriage and divorce licenses and criminal records are few of the documents that the people can request.
Genealogy research is the primary use of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. It is also used as proof of one's identity especially when doing transactions with the government. The documents are also used in specific purposes. Death certificates are used by the family of the deceased when they process or claim the insurance. Some transactions in the government would call for a copy of a marriage or divorce certificate to verify one's marital status. The criminal records of an individual are used by employers to check on the criminal history of an individual.
A public document would contain the name of the involved individual. The document would focus on information that is related to the type of document it is. Death certificates contain details about the death of a person. Marriage records would then have only the information about the marriage of a couple. Divorce license would contain the details about the separation of a married couple. The records of the crimes that an individual has committed are found on a criminal record.
Although, these documents are public files that the residents of Missouri can request anytime, access to it is limited only to the involved individuals and their immediate family. The information that can be found on a public document is also limited only to the basic details about the event or incident. Sensitive information is kept private only to the people involved. A good example would be the reason for the divorce of a couple. It is not visible on a public record since it is one of the sensitive information that may affect the privacy of the couple. In criminal records, the names of the witnesses as well the investigator who handled the case are kept confidential to protect their security.
Retrieval of each document would follow certain guidelines. A processing fee has to be paid in order to get a copy of any document. Only birth, death, marriage and divorce which have been registered since the year 1909 are available in Missouri. One can go to the office of the Vital Records Section or the county clerk office in order to get family related documents while criminal records has to be obtained at the state's Department of Public Safety. One has to fill out the application form with the necessary information to help in the retrieval process. A mail request can also be sent to get copies of any document needed.
The state of Missouri now allows the retrieval of government public records through the Internet. A lot of websites even offer to search for the records on your behalf. There are sites that do it for free while others offer it for a reasonable charge. It may be a little expensive than doing it on your own directly at the office but it is faster and convenient.
Genealogy research is the primary use of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. It is also used as proof of one's identity especially when doing transactions with the government. The documents are also used in specific purposes. Death certificates are used by the family of the deceased when they process or claim the insurance. Some transactions in the government would call for a copy of a marriage or divorce certificate to verify one's marital status. The criminal records of an individual are used by employers to check on the criminal history of an individual.
A public document would contain the name of the involved individual. The document would focus on information that is related to the type of document it is. Death certificates contain details about the death of a person. Marriage records would then have only the information about the marriage of a couple. Divorce license would contain the details about the separation of a married couple. The records of the crimes that an individual has committed are found on a criminal record.
Although, these documents are public files that the residents of Missouri can request anytime, access to it is limited only to the involved individuals and their immediate family. The information that can be found on a public document is also limited only to the basic details about the event or incident. Sensitive information is kept private only to the people involved. A good example would be the reason for the divorce of a couple. It is not visible on a public record since it is one of the sensitive information that may affect the privacy of the couple. In criminal records, the names of the witnesses as well the investigator who handled the case are kept confidential to protect their security.
Retrieval of each document would follow certain guidelines. A processing fee has to be paid in order to get a copy of any document. Only birth, death, marriage and divorce which have been registered since the year 1909 are available in Missouri. One can go to the office of the Vital Records Section or the county clerk office in order to get family related documents while criminal records has to be obtained at the state's Department of Public Safety. One has to fill out the application form with the necessary information to help in the retrieval process. A mail request can also be sent to get copies of any document needed.
The state of Missouri now allows the retrieval of government public records through the Internet. A lot of websites even offer to search for the records on your behalf. There are sites that do it for free while others offer it for a reasonable charge. It may be a little expensive than doing it on your own directly at the office but it is faster and convenient.
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