Vital records are those documents that mark an important milestone or event in each of our lives. These records include legal certificates of your birth, marriage, death, and court documents of any divorces. Each of these vital records provides not only documentation of the event, but is uniquely important in other ways after the event. People search for vital records for many reasons, including but certainly not limited to: verifying family history (genealogy), locating a missing individual, doing background checks for safety or security reasons, providing proof of a death for insurance purposes, and obtaining a driver’s license.

Where to begin your search for vital records can be a challenge. The good news is that if you know the state and county in which the event took place, you can contact that government agency, such as a county courthouse, registrar, or state office of vital statistics, and request access to these documents. Usually there is a small fee and forms to complete for the request. The bad news is that if you do not know the state or county, your search could take much longer. Fortunately, the state-specific searches that are now available online can really help you. In our current digital age with databases connected through a worldwide network of computers, with diligent research, and the right resources, you can rather quickly obtain useful vital records. State and county agencies can be contacted via the Internet through which you can make your request.

A good place to start looking for the proper agency that maintains each state’s vital records is by using the state-by-state resource provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm. Here you can click on the state you need and find specific offices for each type of vital records. There are other online resources that are available if you have nothing more than a name. In fact, there are many companies that have created their own niche by providing the valuable service of searching for vital records in such difficult cases. One of these resources is www.vitalchek.com, which is a company owned by LexisNexis, the world’s leading research organization. VitalChek offers you an easy, step-by-step process to request the vital record for which you are searching. At the end of your order, you simply pay the required agency fee, and a single VitalChek order fee, and your document will be on the way.

Another online resource for all vital records is www.archives.com. This resource is helpful for family searches and genealogy, and it has over 1 billion accessible records. In addition, you can browse collections of these records, network with other family history buffs, and get expert vital record search advice. Archives.com does charge a reasonable subscription to access their records, but they also offer a free 7-day trial where you can try searching their databases with no payment obligation. Your vital records search, whether it is for yourself, a family member, or other individual, begins at your fingertips. Using these online resources can save you time, stress, and money, and get you the records or information you need.