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Vital Records

As a person living in the United States, there are some events in your life that the government doesn’t really care about, and there are some events in your life that the government needs a record of. For example, if you and a partner move in together, the government doesn’t really care about it. If you and a partner decide you want to get legally married, you’ll need to register that information with the United States government.

These elements that require government input are a crucial part of understanding how private investigators and other investigative individuals work. They typically use a mixture of public records, which may include vital records, to find out more information about people. Those records may also help investigators track people throughout their lives.

What Are Vital Records?

Essentially, vital records are official government records that track major life events. There is a variety of important events in your life that you may consider a vital part of understanding who you are as a person and where you are right now. The records that accompany many of these important events are called vital records. With vital records, it’s much easier to understand an individual and get information about them. They’re called “vital records” not only because they track vital parts of your life, but also because they’re vital for many things.

What Records May Qualify as Vital Records?

Most of the time, vital records are any records that involve an individual’s identity and major life events. That means, depending on the county or state, vital records may include any of the following:

  • Birth certificates
  • Death certificates
  • Marriage licenses
  • Divorce records

You may need to check and see what a specific county or state considers “vital records.” Vital records are public, so anyone can access them, but non-vital records may not be public, which means you might not be able to get them without court permission.

What Do People Use Vital Records For?

Vital records are an important part of many proceedings, including proceedings both in and out of court. That includes a variety of proceedings that determine whether you’re legally obliged to something. The uses for vital records may include:

  • Use spousal benefits
  • Divide up an estate
  • Track down an heir
  • Find potential witnesses in a case
  • Make sure a divorce actually occurred

Private investigators definitely use vital records very frequently, but vital records can also be an important part of normal proceedings, like receiving spousal benefits after your spouse dies. No matter what you’re using them for, it’s important that just about anyone has access to vital records.

How Can Enformion Help You Find Vital Records?

Enformion allows you to find vital records in a variety of ways—it’s a gigantic database, after all, so you can look for vital records in a number of states and counties across the United States. Whether you’re looking for them as a private investigator or you’re trying to verify information that someone else is telling you, vital records can help you do that in an official capacity. They’re one of the best ways for you to learn about an individual.