To look up divorce records, contact the clerk of the county or city court where the divorce was granted for a copy of the decree, or the state vital records office for a divorce certificate. There is no federal database, so every search starts with the state or county where the case was filed.
Decree or Certificate: Which One You Need
The document you request depends on why you need it. A divorce decree is the court order that ended the marriage. It spells out the specific terms: who got what property, how debts were divided, whether one spouse pays alimony, and the custody and support arrangements for any children. A divorce certificate is a shorter vital record that proves a divorce took place. It lists both spouses’ names, the date of the divorce, and where it was granted.
For everyday purposes, the certificate is often enough. Changing your name on a driver’s license, remarrying, or updating insurance records typically requires only proof that the divorce occurred. If you need to enforce a child support order, resolve a property dispute, or prove the terms of a spousal support agreement, you need the decree itself.
That choice also tells you where to look. Decrees come from the court clerk. Certificates come from the state vital records office, and not every state issues them, so check whether yours does before you file a request there.
Where to Send the Request
County or City Court Clerk
The clerk’s office where the divorce was filed holds the complete case file: the original petition, the final decree, any property settlement agreements, and motions filed during the case. Contact the office directly to learn its request process, accepted payment methods, and whether requests are handled online, by mail, or only in person. Procedures vary widely from one county to the next.
State Vital Records Office
Many states maintain a central index of divorce records through their vital records office, sometimes housed within the state health department. These offices typically issue divorce certificates rather than full decrees, which is useful for genealogical research, name changes, or proving marital status when the specific terms don’t matter. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics maintains a directory pointing to each state’s vital records office, but the federal government does not distribute the records themselves.1CDC. Where to Write for Vital Records
Online Portals
A growing number of courts and vital records offices offer online ordering through their own websites or through authorized third-party vendors. Stick with the official government portal or a vendor linked directly from the government agency’s website. Independent people-search sites may return outdated or incomplete results and have no legal standing, so a record pulled from one of those services won’t satisfy a court, government agency, or employer.
What to Have Ready Before You Ask
Gather these details before you contact any office:
- Full legal names. Both spouses’ names exactly as they appeared on the original filing. Maiden names and prior married names matter here.
- Approximate date. The year the divorce was finalized, or at least a narrow range. The closer you can get, the faster the search.
- County and state. The jurisdiction where the case was heard. A divorce filed in one county won’t appear in another county’s records.
- Case number if you have it. This speeds up retrieval significantly and may save you a separate search fee.
You’ll also need to say whether you want a certified or uncertified copy. A certified copy carries an embossed seal and an official signature confirming the document’s authenticity, and government agencies, courts, and many employers require it. An uncertified copy works fine for personal reference or genealogy and usually costs less. Most offices have a standardized request form on their website or at the counter.
Fees and Turnaround
Fees for a single certified copy generally fall between $5 and $50, depending on the jurisdiction. If you don’t have the case number or exact filing date, expect an additional search fee. Some offices charge per page for lengthy case files, so a full divorce file with dozens of pages of motions and exhibits can cost considerably more than a one-page certificate.
Speed depends on how you file the request. Walking into the clerk’s office often gets you same-day service. Online orders may arrive by mail or secure digital download within a few business days to a couple of weeks. Mailed requests typically take the longest, sometimes several weeks from the day the office receives your paperwork. If you have a deadline, call ahead and ask about current turnaround, because backlogs happen.
ID Requirements
Expect to show a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, when requesting divorce records. In-person requests are straightforward: bring the ID with you. For mail requests, many offices require a photocopy of your ID or a notarized signature on the request form. Online portals typically use identity verification software that asks you to confirm personal details.
These requirements exist because divorce files often contain financial account numbers, Social Security numbers, and details about children. Submitting false information on an official records request is a criminal offense. Under federal law, making a materially false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the U.S. government can result in fines and up to five years in prison.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally State penalties vary but carry similar consequences.
Sealed and Redacted Records
Most divorce records are public. Courts operate on a presumption of openness, and anyone can generally request a copy of a final decree. Judges can seal all or part of a case file when privacy concerns are serious enough to outweigh that presumption. Cases involving domestic violence, the identities of minor children, or detailed financial information like bank account numbers and Social Security numbers are the most common candidates for sealing.
Sealing isn’t automatic. The person requesting it must convince the court that the need for secrecy justifies restricting public access, and that no less restrictive option, like redacting specific details, would solve the problem. Courts can and do redact sensitive identifiers from otherwise public files, so you may encounter a decree where the financial specifics are blacked out but the custody terms and property division remain visible.
If the record you need has been sealed, you may be able to petition the court for access by showing a legitimate legal interest. An attorney can help navigate that process, but courts don’t unseal records casually, and curiosity alone won’t get the job done.
Older Records That Have Moved to State Archives
Older divorce records may no longer sit at the county courthouse. Many jurisdictions transfer case files to a state archive after a set retention period, which can range from a few decades to permanent retention depending on the state. If the clerk’s office tells you the file has been moved, your next stop is the state archives.
For genealogical research into divorces that occurred many decades ago, state vital records offices and archives are often more productive than county clerks. Some states have digitized older indexes, making it possible to search by name and date range online. Records beyond a certain age, often 50 years or more, may be fully open to the public without any access restrictions, even in states that otherwise limit who can order vital records.
Extra Certification for Use Abroad
If you plan to present a divorce decree in another country, the court clerk’s seal alone usually isn’t enough. More than 120 countries participate in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, which created a standardized way to verify documents across borders. For those countries, get the document certified at the state level (usually by the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the court sits) and then obtain an apostille from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, which requires Form DS-4194.3U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications Some states can issue the apostille directly, which skips the federal step, so check your state’s process first.
Countries outside the Hague Convention require a longer authentication and legalization chain: state-level certification, U.S. Department of State authentication, and finally legalization at the embassy or consulate of the destination country. Each step carries its own fee and processing window. The destination country’s embassy website will list its specific requirements, including whether a certified translation is needed and whether the document has a validity window. Build in plenty of lead time either way.