The state of Ohio has implemented the Freedom of Information Act. This law mandates the government of a certain state to allow its local residents to access any of their personal files. With this access to the public records Ohio manages has been opened to its residents.
The public documents of Ohio includes but not limited to documents of birth, death, marriage, divorce and criminal records. These documents are used in separate ways. Records of birth and death as well as marriage and divorce are primary sources of information for genealogy. It has information that is vital in updating the family tree. These documents are also requirements when dealing with transactions in the government. Birth certificates are used as proof of one\'s identity while death, marriage and divorce licenses are used when dealing with financial matters or insurance. Criminal records of Ohio are used primarily to conduct a background check on an individual. This is done mostly by business owners and people who wish to make sure they are with people they can trust.
A public document in Ohio would contain information about the person involved. The personal details such as the complete name and other related information are indicated on a public file. The information that can be found on a public document would also depend on the type of file it is. For example, records of birth are found on a birth certificate while information about one\'s marriage can only be seen in a marriage certificate. AS for criminal records, it would show all of the offenses that an individual has committed.
It is important to know the basic guidelines in obtaining a certain public document in the state of Ohio. Although the state of Ohio is considered as an open state, the local government only allows its local residents to request for a copy of their personal documents. This is the reason why one has to provide their contact details during the search to verify their identity and relationship to the person n the file. Other can still request for a public record of other people but they have to provide an authorization letter to be granted of the request.
It would help, if one knows where to request for a specific document. Records of Birth, marriage, divorce and death are available at the office of the Vital Records Section at the office of the Department of health. Criminal records, on the other hand are available at the office of the Department of Public Safety in Ohio. One can also request for a copy of the documents at the local county offices where the incident has been registered or filed. A processing fee has to be paid in order to proceed with any request. A mail request is also possible but the wait time can be longer than usual.
Instead of waiting, one can speed up the process by doing the search online. Not only that the retrieval is faster but it is also convenient and hassle free. Some websites even allow free public report retrieval through their promotional services.
