Learn how to do anything: How to Find Divorce Records

Friday, August 14, 2015

How to Find Divorce Records

Divorce records, like marriage records, are public. This means that by following the right process, anyone can access them. You can try accessing divorce records from the comfort of your own home, or you can visit the state's Department of Health and Vital Records. Although you may be able to access divorce records for free, you could have to pay to use certain private or state services. Read on to discover how to access divorce records in the United States.

Steps

Through a County, District or State Entity

Determine as much information about the parties as you can. You'll want to know, at the very least, the name of the person you're searching, as well as the name of their (former) partner, along with the state/country in which the divorce was filed.
- It won't hurt to know the parties' respective birthdays, either, so that you can distinguish them from other couples who have shared their names.
Contact or visit the state's Department of Health and Vital Records. Official divorce records can usually be accessed from each state's Department of Health and Vital Records.
- In many states, certified records of divorce are housed in state Superior Courts. California certified records of divorce, for example, are only available from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed.
- You can also research the divorce records kept in the superior court at the county level. The information you are looking for will typically be filed with the family law division or the civil records department.
- If researching at the court level does not provide you with the appropriate divorce record, then look into the specific county clerk's office. Some states, such as Florida, organize all of their civil records in the Official Records Index, which is maintained by the county clerk.
Determine whether you can obtain a certified copy. In many states, certified records of divorce are only accessible to individuals named on the record, parents of the individual named on the record, and certain other individuals or entities specified by the law. If you are neither one of these, you may have to settle for an "informational" copy.
Fill out a records request. For security reasons, most states ask you to fill out a records request before granting you access to public records. Sometimes, this paperwork will be available online. You may also need to pay a small fee ($12-$20) to obtain the document.
Mail the request, along with any pertinent fee, to the state's Vital Records Department.
- Note that for many states, the name of the department may not be "[State] Department of Health and Vital Records." In California, for example, the records request is sent to the "California Department of Public Health" instead.
Wait. There is usually a waiting period of anywhere from a couple weeks to six months before the records will be ready, so don't worry if it's been a little while. If they are not mailed directly to you, go to the courthouse to pick up the records once they're arrived.
- If no record is found, the state will issue a Certificate of No Public Record and retain the fee for the search according to State law

Through a Private Company

Try one of the online divorce records database companies. Be aware that you'll have to pay (even though many sites claim they are "free"). Enter the information of the person you're searching and click "Search Now."
If you find the person you're looking for, click on their name.
Choose your payment/membership.

Through an Online Search

Try a Google search using either party's name. If the record of divorce was made public, for any reason, you might be able to access it simply using an online search engine.
- Try searching "[Party Name] divorce record" and determine whether this search has been successful.
- Try searching "[Party Name] divorce record [State in which party was divorced]" and determine whether this search has been successful.
- Use the Google search command "allintext:" before each search prompt to further narrow your search: "allintext: [Party Name] divorce record [State in which party was divorced]".
Understand that any information gleaned in this way is less authoritative than obtaining a certified copy through a state Superior Court. Although the online search method is quicker, it is much less reliable than direct outreach to a state channel.