For statistical and legal purposes, each and every country keeps public records. These contain documents which can be accessed freely by members of the public. The databases are maintained and updated by the authorities that have this responsibility by law. Most people are familiar with some types of records which are accessible to the public, but rarely know about all of them. Discover all types of document which you can read and extract information from.
Records of Life Events
Birth and death certificates are public records. The same applies to marriage licenses and certificates as well. The divorce decrees issued by courts are accessible to all members of the public. It is interesting to note that they often contain a lot more information than the other records of life events. For example, you can find the names of the children of the couple in them as well as the names of the partners who have split up. In general, the information about life events is most useful for building family trees and for people search.
Court and Criminal Records
All court cases are public. The records kept on them are public as well. They can be accessed by any person. Some documents are available only through court houses while others can be obtained from the local authorities responsible for public record keeping as well. It is important to keep these things in mind when performing a search.
The criminal records contain information on offenses and usually on convictions and arrests as well. The are compiled with the use of documents from different places including court houses and law enforcement agencies. They are used for the performance of background checks on people like job applicants and prospect tenants. While the full criminal record of a person can be accessed only for a specific reason, the sex offender registries are easily accessible directly online.
Other Documents
Property records are also public records for the purpose of fraud prevention. You can check who owns a specific property. It is also possible to discover all properties owned by a single person. These types of documents are always checked before a deal for the purchase of a property is concluded.
All business licenses and professional licenses are accessible to the public. They are extremely useful when a background check is run on a company or a professional such as a medical doctor, a lawyer or an accountant. They are typically held in special databases which are accessible online.
You can expect all public records which are maintained by local and national authorities to have accurate information about people and events.