US Divorce Records

Choose the record that proves what you need

There is no federal person-level divorce index or national office that issues all U.S. divorce records. CDC directs requests to the state or local jurisdiction where the event occurred. A divorce decree is the court’s order ending the marriage and setting its terms; a certificate or verification is an event record. USAGov directs decree requests to the county or city court clerk and certificates to the relevant state vital-record office, where offered.

Ask the recipient to name the acceptable product before you pay. Enforcing support or property terms generally requires the decree or relevant court order, while basic proof of the event may require less. A case-search screen, statistical table or certificate of filing is not automatically proof of the final terms. If the recipient needs a certified decree, do not buy a state verification merely because it is available online.

Build a short list of likely filing jurisdictions

Start with your own dated court papers, lawyer correspondence, past case numbers or other event clues. Write down both parties’ names as used at the time, former names, the approximate date and likely state and county. The place of marriage and the parties’ current addresses may differ from where the divorce was filed. Treat them as clues rather than selecting an office on that basis alone.

Use the CDC state directory to reach the issuing office and establish its date coverage. Then look for that jurisdiction’s official party-name or case-number court search, or ask the clerk about an older index. Keep a log of the office, years and name variants checked. As a bounded example, Indiana MyCase allows anyone to search nonconfidential case information and many documents free, but not all documents or older cases are online. Its missing result is not a nationwide finding.

State examples show why coverage matters

Illinois Vital Records verifies dissolution facts from 1962 through its current index date but does not issue certified divorce decrees. Verification costs $5, requires a completed request and valid readable photo ID, and is available by mail, fax or in person. Mailed requests average four to six weeks of processing, excluding delivery. Certified copies come from the circuit court clerk where the divorce was granted. This is an Illinois product, not a national search.

California’s state service covers only 1962 through June 1984 and provides a Certificate of Record identifying the parties, filing date, county and case number, not the decree. The decree comes from the county Superior Court. CDPH’s current 2026 fee page and divorce page list $18 per copy; the older linked VS 113-B form still shows $16. Use the current $18 schedule and check the instructions before mailing, rather than treating the old form price as current.

California retains the fee as a search charge if it cannot locate a record and issues a Certificate of No Public Record. That result describes the requested search within its coverage, not proof that no divorce occurred anywhere. A record outside the state office’s date range should send you to the court, not to repeated paid state searches.

Check who may receive the requested copy

Access rules differ by state and product. New York, for example, offers divorce certificates for events from January 1, 1963, but limits copies to either spouse or someone with a New York State court order. Its page specifies identity documents; earlier divorces require the court decree. Do not assume that finding a public docket gives you access to a confidential divorce file or that every stranger may order a certificate.

For a records application, supply the requested relationship or authority truthfully. CDC’s divorce-request checklist includes both parties’ full names, date and place of divorce or annulment, type of final decree, purpose, relationship and daytime telephone. Add the case number when known, number of copies and delivery address. Use the issuing office’s current form because it may require identification, a signature or an authorization that a generic letter omits.

Confirm the full cost and delivery before ordering

Fees, certification, search-year charges, delivery and processing vary; there is no U.S.-wide price or turnaround. New York currently lists $30 per mailed certificate or $45 per online/telephone copy plus a vendor processing fee per transaction, and warns of significant processing delays. Illinois’s $5 verification and California’s $18 limited record are different products. Compare the item you will receive, not just the displayed price.

Follow the official office’s online, mail or in-person instructions. For example, Illinois mail verification requests go to IDPH Division of Vital Records, 110 W. Lawrence Avenue, Springfield, IL 62704-2610, with the completed application or required details, ID and check or money order payable to Illinois Department of Public Health. Ask the court separately about decree-copy charges and certification; a vital-record office cannot supply a court order merely by changing the delivery option.

Use the issued record carefully and resolve gaps

Retain the order number, payment receipt and exact names and years searched. On delivery, compare the parties, court, event date and certification with your request. If no record was found, first check whether the search covered the right county, date range and former names, then ask whether an archived court file or another office is the next step. Avoid paying the same office repeatedly without changing the missing information.

If a copy contains a clerical error, contact the issuing office and ask its correction requirements. If the dispute concerns the terms of the court order, the issuing court or a qualified legal adviser must address that question; editing your copy does not change the judgment. For foreign use, ask the recipient whether it needs additional authentication or translation before ordering extra certified copies. Do not assume that a certificate, decree and amended order are interchangeable.