Running a background check before getting married may seem unnecessary. You would not be marrying someone if you did not have complete trust in them. However, think of it this way. If the person you are marrying has nothing to hide, then there is no harm in doing a background check. If they are keeping something from you, you should know about it before you are married.
Marriage is more than an emotional partnership. The person you marry will also be a financial partner. It is inevitable that your finances will become entwined after marriage. Make sure you have a complete picture of their financial situation before taking the plunge into marriage. If they are keeping secrets about past financial mistakes, you owe it to yourself to find out why.
Everyone has baggage in their past. Taking the step of running a background check before marriage helps to ensure there are no non-disclosed skeletons in the closet. Things from your partner’s past could have a dramatic impact on your future. It may also help your friends and family feel more comfortable if they have expressed concern about your marriage.
A background check will also reveal if your future spouse is legally single. You may think it seems preposterous, but it does happen. Divorces are never finalized, for whatever reason, and your marriage would be invalid.
Running a background check is a simple and relatively inexpensive process for your peace of mind. You can use one of several background check websites:
- Intelius
- Instant Checkmate
- PeopleFinders
- BeenVerified
- US Search
All of the above websites can provide the necessary information you need. At a minimum, you would want the following information about your future spouse:
- Credit history—you need to know if your partner owes a considerable amount of debt or has an abysmal credit score as these things will have a direct impact on your own financial plans for the future.
- Marriage and divorce records—you owe it to yourself to know if your partner is legally single. You also want to make sure there are no undisclosed marriages in the past.
- Criminal history—your future spouse may have something minor in their past that they have been too embarrassed to admit. It could be something more serious. A criminal background is something you have a right to know about before entering into a marriage.
- Civil court records—if your partner is involved in civil litigation, this can profoundly impact your financial future. You also need to know if there have been past civil suits and of what nature.
- Property records—what if there is a large amount of back taxes owed on the property where you plan to live? What if they own property that they have not told you about?
Using background check websites gives you the option of running the background check anonymously or with full-disclosure to your partner. What you do with the information you find is completely up to you. You can confront your partner for an explanation or decide to keep it to yourself. You have protected yourself from being blindsided at a future time.
On a more positive note, you will probably discover that your partner is who they have portrayed themselves to be. You will have the peace of mind of knowing that you performed due diligence and that your partner is not keeping secrets. Marriage is built on trust, so make sure yours starts on a firm foundation by doing a simple background check. Whatever you find, it is much better to deal with it before marriage.