Background Check for Marriage: What You Need to Know

Marriage is one of life’s biggest commitments. Background Check for Marriage Essentially, you’re agreeing to spend the rest of your life with someone in sickness and in health. While many people know their spouses well, it’s possible that some secrets are being kept from you or the person may not be who they claim to be. In fact, this becomes more apparent in cases where marriages happen quickly (in less than a year).

The good news is that you don’t have to enter a marriage blindly. There are tools you can use to run a background check on your spouse before you get married. We’ll take you through some reasons to run a marriage background check and provide you with the tools necessary to perform one.

What Is a Marriage Background Check?

A marriage background check is a background check that you run on a spouse or someone you’re interested in marrying.

These checks are similar to a traditional background check but they’re not usually done for employment or with the same tools used for employment background checks. Instead, it’s more of a general public records search about the person you’re marrying using whatever information is available.

Why It’s Important to Run a Marriage Background Check

Running a marriage background check is important for a few reasons. The obvious reason is to verify someone’s identity and ensure that they’re the person they say they are. Still, there are also some other factors to consider and we list them below.

  • Checking to see if they have a history of criminal activity
  • Seeing if your spouse is a sex offender
  • Finding a history of domestic violence or abuse
  • Locating patterns of addictive behavior like DUIs, erratic behavior, and rehab
  • Discovering if your spouse has been married or is currently married (unfortunately, this does happen)
  • Learning about their family and family history
  • Finding instances of poor money management through bankruptcy, liens, or tax problems

Aside from feeling safe and secure in your decision, as well as having peace of mind about your partner, these are the best reasons to run a background check on someone before getting married.

Can You Run a Background Check on a Spouse?

Yes, you can run a background check on a spouse. While it’s not something many large background check companies will do, online public records search tools like Information.com do a great job at getting records for you. It’s also possible to do some independent research through resources like Google or Whitepages for more information.

How to Run a Marriage Background Check

Marriage background checks aren’t challenging to run. In fact, you don’t even have to worry about finding a company to do it for you. There are a few tools you have at your disposal and we’ll take you through each one.

How to Run a Marriage Background Check

Online Background Check

To get the fastest and most accurate results, it’s always best to use Information.com to run a background check. Information.com makes it easy to run background checks on anyone, even your spouse. It provides you with a lot of information and will help you see someone’s criminal history, court history, personal information, social media accounts, and much more.

Using Information.com to run a marriage background check is also hassle-free. We list the steps you need to follow below.

  1. Visit Information.com and use the background check search engine.
  2. Enter your spouse’s information: Name (first and last), state, and city of residence.
  3. Scroll through the results until you find your spouse.
  4. Open the full report.
  5. Look for anything suspicious in the records.

When you run a search and the information doesn’t line up or has some inconsistencies, you’ll know that you have to speak with your spouse or end the engagement.

Private Investigator

One of the most expensive and effective options is to hire a private investigator (PI). They can help you find public records about your spouse, find where they work, and much more. In many cases, private investigators will get you the most accurate information but you have to pay top dollar for it. We recommend starting with a background check tool instead and escalating to a private investigator if things start getting sketchy.

Google and Social Media

Google and social media will also help you learn more information about someone. Enter their name and other information into the search engine of Google or a social media platform to learn more.

You’ll find out if they have an account and be able to verify some basic information. Keep in mind, you won’t always be able to find them online and the information you get will only be surface level. We always recommend using a professional background check tool instead.

Find More Information About a Spouse Today

Marriage is forever, or at least it’s supposed to be. It’s always important to know who you’re marrying and to ensure that it’s for the right reasons.

Running a marriage background check on someone is the best way to be sure about the person you’re marrying. Failing to do so can result in divorce, scams, and several other problems. When it’s time to run a marriage background check, make sure you check everything thoroughly.