Marriage License
Baldwin County marriage records are handled through the Baldwin County Probate Office, but Alabama’s marriage process changed substantially in 2019. Couples no longer apply to the probate court for a traditional marriage license. Instead, the parties complete an Alabama Marriage Certificate, have their signatures notarized by an Alabama notary, and submit the completed certificate for recording. This article explains the Baldwin County process, including where to obtain the form, document and printing requirements, the 30-day filing deadline, fees and payment methods, the legal marriage date, certified copies, record searches, and corrections to certificates that have already been recorded.
Marriage Certificates Replace Licenses
Effective August 29, 2019, Alabama stopped requiring couples to submit a marriage license application to a probate court. Baldwin County probate courts therefore do not issue new marriage licenses under the current system. The document used for marriages on or after that date is the Alabama Marriage Certificate.
The distinction matters because people searching for a “Baldwin County marriage license” may actually need one of several different services. Someone preparing to marry now needs to complete and record an Alabama Marriage Certificate. Someone married before August 29, 2019 may need a certified copy of an older marriage license. Someone married on or after August 29, 2019 may need a certified copy of a recorded Marriage Certificate.
The Baldwin County Probate Office provides current instructions on its Marriage License and Marriage Certificate page. Marriage Certificates are recorded only at the Probate Office's Bay Minette location, even though the Probate Office operates multiple locations elsewhere in Baldwin County.
Where Marriage Certificates Are Recorded
Baldwin County's Probate Office has locations in Bay Minette, Fairhope, Foley, and Robertsdale. Marriage Certificates, however, are recorded only through the Bay Minette location. The county's Probate Office page specifically identifies Bay Minette as the location for Marriage Certificate recording.
This limitation is especially useful to know before making an in-person trip. A person should not assume that every Baldwin County Probate Office location can accept a Marriage Certificate simply because other probate transactions are available there.
For marriage recording, no appointment is required at the Bay Minette location. The certificate may also be submitted by mail, so an in-person visit is not mandatory.
The Marriage Certificate Process
The current process has three basic stages: obtaining the state form, completing and notarizing it, and submitting it to the probate court with the required recording fee. Each stage has specific requirements that can affect whether the certificate can be accepted.
Obtaining the State Form
The Marriage Certificate form comes from the Alabama Department of Public Health rather than from a blank-form supply at the Baldwin County Probate Office. The county specifically states that blank Marriage Certificate forms are not available at the Probate Office.
Couples can use the Alabama Department of Public Health's official Marriage Certificates information page for state marriage-certificate information and forms.
Because the form must meet particular printing specifications, users should avoid altering its layout when printing it. The Baldwin County instructions require the document to be printed:
On 8.5-by-11-inch white paper.
On the front side of the paper only.
At actual size.
Without using a “fit to page” setting or another modified printing size.
Those requirements are more than formatting preferences. They are part of the county's submission instructions, so changing the form's size or layout can create a problem when it is presented for recording.
Completing the Certificate
All requested information on the Marriage Certificate should be completed legibly. The Baldwin County instructions prohibit white-out and corrective marks. Because the certificate becomes an official recorded marriage document, users should review entries before the notarization stage rather than trying to correct the form afterward.
The county's instructions do not treat the Marriage Certificate as a traditional marriage-license application that must be approved and issued before a ceremony. Instead, the parties complete the state certificate and establish their marriage through their signed and notarized declarations, followed by timely filing with a probate court.
Alabama Notary Requirement
The Marriage Certificate must be notarized before it is submitted to the Baldwin County Probate Office. The notary must be authorized under Alabama law. A notary from another state is not permitted for this process.
Notary services are not provided by the Judge of Probate office for Marriage Certificates. Probate staff are not permitted to notarize the certificate. Couples therefore need to complete the required notarization before submitting the form to the Probate Office.
This requirement can be particularly important for people who live outside Alabama or who plan to mail the certificate. Having signatures notarized outside Alabama by an out-of-state notary does not satisfy Baldwin County's instructions. The certificate must carry the required notarization from an Alabama notary.
The 30-Day Filing Deadline
The completed and notarized Marriage Certificate must be submitted within 30 days of the last notarized signature. For a certificate sent by mail, the controlling date is when the Probate Office receives it, not the date shown on the postal cancellation or mailing receipt.
This creates an important practical difference between mailing the document and filing it in person. Mailing the certificate close to the end of the 30-day period does not extend the deadline. It must actually reach the Probate Office within the required period.
Baldwin County states that if the form is not filed within 30 days, the parties will not have a legal marriage in Alabama. Couples should therefore account for mailing and delivery time if they choose postal submission.
Which Signature Starts the Deadline?
The 30-day period is tied to the last notarized signature. If both spouses sign and notarize their signatures on the same date, that date is straightforward. If the spouses sign on different dates, the later signature is the relevant one for determining the final notarized signature and the legal date of marriage.
For example, if one spouse signs and notarizes the certificate on June 1 and the second spouse signs and notarizes it on June 10, June 10 is the later signature date. The certificate must then be received for recording within the required 30-day period measured from that last notarized signature.
Marriage Certificate Filing Fee
The fee for submitting the completed Marriage Certificate to Baldwin County is $73. The payment method depends on whether the form is filed by mail or delivered in person.
Submitting the Form by Mail
A mailed Marriage Certificate must be sent to the Judge of Probate, Marriage Section, in Bay Minette. The submission must include the completed notarized certificate, the required fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
For a mailed submission, payment must be made by:
Money order; or
Cashier's check.
Personal checks and business checks are not accepted. Because mailed forms must be received within 30 days of the last notarized signature, users should allow sufficient delivery time rather than relying on the mailing date.
Submitting the Form in Person
The Marriage Certificate may instead be presented at the Bay Minette Probate Office. No appointment is required for this marriage-certificate filing.
Accepted payment methods for an in-person Marriage Certificate submission are:
Cash; or
Credit card.
Processing fees apply to credit-card payments.
Who Must Deliver the Form?
Both spouses do not have to appear together at the Baldwin County Probate Office when a completed Marriage Certificate is filed in person. In fact, neither spouse is required to be the person who physically delivers it. Baldwin County permits the completed document to be brought to the office by a third party.
This should not be confused with the signing and notarization requirements. The ability to have another person deliver the certificate does not eliminate the requirement that the necessary signatures be completed and properly notarized before submission.
The Legal Marriage Date
The date the Probate Office records the Marriage Certificate is not necessarily the legal date of the marriage. Baldwin County explains that the legal marriage date is determined by the date on which the parties sign and notarize their signatures on the certificate.
If both parties sign on the same date, that date serves as the marriage date. When they sign on different dates, the later of the two signature dates controls.
The county provides an example in which one spouse signs on June 1, the other spouse signs on June 10, and the certificate is ultimately recorded on June 20. In that situation, the official marriage date is June 10 rather than June 20.
This distinction can prevent confusion when comparing the date shown for the marriage with the date the document was entered into Baldwin County's records.
Marriage Ceremonies and Officiants
A ceremony is not required under the process described by Baldwin County. The parties may have a ceremony at any time, or they may choose not to have one.
Baldwin County also states that there are no requirements for officiants to register and no credentials are required to perform a ceremony. The Judge of Probate does not perform marriage ceremonies.
The optional ceremony should therefore be distinguished from the legal Marriage Certificate process. The essential county filing procedure centers on completion, Alabama notarization, and timely recording of the certificate rather than on a ceremony conducted at the Probate Office.
Marriage Record Searches
Baldwin County provides online access points for marriage-record searches through its government-operated public-record system. The Open Baldwin public records portal separates marriage searches according to the date of the record.
The available probate search categories include:
Marriage License Search for records prior to 2019.
Marriage License/Certificate Search for records from 2019 to the present.
The date distinction corresponds to Alabama's change from the older marriage-license system to the current Marriage Certificate process. Someone researching an older Baldwin County marriage should therefore use the older license-search category, while a record associated with the newer process belongs in the later marriage license/certificate search.
Certified Copies of Marriage Records
The Baldwin County Probate Office in Bay Minette can issue certified copies of marriage records recorded in Baldwin County. The type of record requested depends on when the marriage occurred.
For a marriage before August 29, 2019, request a certified copy of the Marriage License.
For a marriage on or after August 29, 2019, request a certified copy of the Marriage Certificate.
The Baldwin County fee is $3 per certified copy. Requests may be made by mail or in person. The county provides an official Request for Certified Copies form for this purpose.
Information on the Copy Request
The certified-copy request form asks for information that helps the Probate Office identify the marriage record and return the requested copies. The form includes fields for:
The type of record: Marriage License or Marriage Certificate.
Full name of Spouse 1.
Full name of Spouse 2.
Date of marriage.
Phone number.
Mailing address, city, state, and ZIP Code.
Number of certified copies requested.
The form calculates the total based on the $3 charge for each copy.
Certified Copies by Mail
For a mailed certified-copy request, payment may be made by money order or cashier's check. Personal and business checks are not accepted, and cash should not be sent through the mail. The request form also instructs applicants to include a driver's license number on the payment.
A return address must be provided. Payment should be made payable to the Judge of Probate.
In-Person Copy Requests
Certified copies can also be requested at the Bay Minette office. According to the county's certified-copy request form, in-person requests are accepted Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cash and credit cards are accepted for in-office certified-copy requests, with a service fee applying to credit-card transactions. The Probate Office states that it cannot accept certified-copy requests online or by phone.
Certified copies may also be obtained through the Alabama Department of Public Health. Users should distinguish that state service from a Baldwin County Probate Office certified-copy request because the agencies have their own procedures and fees.
Correcting a Recorded Certificate
A Marriage Certificate that has already been recorded may require an amendment if incorrect information appears on the filed document. Baldwin County provides separate instructions and a correction form for certificates filed on or after August 29, 2019.
The county's Marriage Certificate amendment instructions explain how spouses should complete the correction process. The official Amendment to Alabama Marriage Certificate form is the document used to identify the original information and state the corrected information.
Information Required for Amendments
Both spouses must provide their full names exactly as they appeared on the original Marriage Certificate, even when a spouse's name is one of the items being corrected. The amendment also requires identifying information about the original filing.
The instructions call for:
The date the original Marriage Certificate was filed with the probate court.
The Alabama county probate court where the certificate was originally filed.
The Book and Page Number or Instrument Number for the original recording.
The incorrect information appearing on the original certificate.
The information as it should be corrected.
The filing date and recording number can be found in the recording information associated with the original Marriage Certificate. These details allow the probate court to connect the amendment to the original recorded document.
Amendment Printing Requirements
The amendment form must be printed on a single page, front side only, using 8.5-by-11-inch white or light paper. It must be printed at actual size rather than resized with a “fit to page” setting. Amendments extending to more than one page are not accepted under the instructions provided by Baldwin County.
Handwritten information should be printed and legible. Certain blocks on the amendment are reserved for probate court use and should not be completed by the spouses.
Both Spouses Must Sign
For a correction agreed upon by both spouses, each spouse must sign the amendment using the spouse's current full legal name. Each signature must be witnessed by an Alabama notary. A form notarized by a non-Alabama notary is not accepted.
The notary must provide the required notarial information, including the seal or stamp and commission expiration information described in the amendment instructions. Information cannot be changed or added after the form has been notarized.
The notarized signatures of both spouses are required for the agreed correction to be valid. The Baldwin County instructions explain that when the spouses cannot agree on the correction or one spouse cannot sign the amendment, Alabama law provides for an action in circuit court to correct errors on the Marriage Certificate.
Where an Amendment Is Filed
The original completed, signed, and notarized amendment must be delivered to an Alabama county probate court for recording. The Baldwin County instructions state that filing the amendment with the same county probate court that recorded the original Marriage Certificate is the best way to ensure that the amendment can be matched with the original record.
A required recording fee must be paid when the amendment is presented to the probate court. After recording the amendment, the probate court forwards it to the Alabama Department of Public Health's Center for Health Statistics. The amendment then becomes permanently associated with the original Marriage Certificate and is issued with the original certificate when certified copies are later requested through the Center for Health Statistics.
Avoiding Common Filing Problems
Most preventable problems with a Baldwin County Marriage Certificate involve the document itself, notarization, filing location, payment, or timing. Reviewing these details before signing can reduce the possibility of having to prepare another form.
Incorrect Printing
The standard Marriage Certificate must be printed on 8.5-by-11-inch white paper, on the front side only, and at actual size. Avoid print settings that scale the document to fit the page.
Corrections on the Form
White-out and corrective marks are not allowed on the Marriage Certificate. Because of that restriction, errors should be identified before the parties complete their notarized signatures.
Wrong Notary
The county requires an Alabama notary. A notarization performed by a notary from another state does not meet the stated requirement. The Judge of Probate office cannot provide the required notarization.
Late Delivery
The Probate Office must receive the completed certificate within 30 days of the last notarized signature. A postal postmark within the 30-day period does not satisfy the rule if the document arrives after the deadline.
Wrong Probate Location
Marriage Certificates are recorded only at the Bay Minette Probate Office. Baldwin County's other probate locations should not be treated as interchangeable for this particular transaction.
Unsupported Payment Method
Mailed Marriage Certificate submissions require a money order or cashier's check. Personal and business checks are not accepted. In-person Marriage Certificate filings may be paid by cash or credit card, with processing fees applying to credit-card transactions.
The certified-copy process has its own payment instructions. For mailed copy requests, users should not mail cash and should use a money order or cashier's check. In-office certified-copy requests allow cash or credit card payment, with a service fee applying to credit cards.
Marriage License and Certificate Terms
The terminology used in Baldwin County records depends heavily on the marriage date. This distinction is useful when ordering records, conducting searches, or identifying the correct county form.
Before August 29, 2019
A Baldwin County marriage from before the statewide procedural change may be recorded as a Marriage License. When requesting a certified copy, the county request form specifically tells applicants in this category to select Marriage License.
On or After August 29, 2019
For marriages under the current procedure, the operative document is the Alabama Marriage Certificate. The Probate Court records the completed certificate rather than issuing a marriage license application to the couple.
Using the correct term can make a records request clearer, especially when completing the county's certified-copy form or selecting the correct search in Open Baldwin.
Department List
Baldwin County Probate Office, Bay Minette — 220 Courthouse Square, Bay Minette, AL — 251-937-0260
Baldwin County Judge of Probate Marriage Section — PO Box 459, Bay Minette, AL 36507-0459 — 251-937-0260
Marriage License FAQs
Which marriage form should a 16- or 17-year-old use?
Baldwin County provides separate marriage certificate materials for adults and for minors who are 16 or 17 years old. Anyone in that age range should use the current minor-specific certificate and instructions rather than assuming the adult form applies. The county’s official marriage certificate page links to the versions currently designated for adults and minors. Because the county identifies these as effective August 2023 forms, users should obtain the current document from the official page instead of relying on an older saved or printed copy.
Does a Social Security number error require an amendment?
Not according to Baldwin County’s official amendment instructions. If the only error involves a Social Security number reported on the original Alabama Marriage Certificate, the instructions state that no correction is needed. The Alabama Department of Public Health collects Social Security numbers as required by law, but the numbers do not appear on certified copies of the Marriage Certificate and are not reported to another government agency. Other errors that need to appear correctly on the marriage record may require the formal amendment process.
What if my certificate has no recording stamp?
A missing recording stamp does not necessarily prevent you from completing an amendment. Baldwin County’s official amendment instructions explain that the original filing date may be found in Block 31 of the Marriage Certificate when a recording stamp is unavailable. The Book and Page Number or Instrument Number may also be found in Block 32. These details are required to identify the original filing.
What document proves a marriage certificate correction?
For a properly filed correction, the Amendment to Alabama Marriage Certificate and Decree of Correction serves as proof of the changes. Baldwin County specifically notes that this amendment document is the proof users receive for corrections made to the original certificate. After recording, the amendment is forwarded to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Statistics and becomes permanently associated with the original Marriage Certificate.