How To Find Divorce Records Free of Charge?
There are different reasons why people want to find out if someone is divorced. Such a desire may be related to legal matters, e.g., inheritance purposes, or personal needs, such as genealogy research. Though divorce records are classified as public information, which means they are free at the federal, state, county, and city levels, there are several factors to keep in mind when searching for such data.
Are Divorce Records Public in the USA?
In general, public records are any documents made by a government agency and supposed to be kept and maintained in accordance with the law. Public records include census data, tax liens, criminal records, as well as marriage and divorce records. Previously, one had to visit the local government agency to get access to this data, but nowadays, it can be retrieved from an online repository unless you are looking for sealed records.
Before starting your search, you should understand the difference between divorce records and decrees. A divorce record is a file consisting of several pages indicating that two people are divorced. It also contains the date of the marriage dissolution. In some states, like Washington, divorce records are called divorce certificates or certificates of dissolution. Name variations have no impact on the content.
A divorce decree is a court order that terminates a marriage and describes all the terms of a divorce. It contains more details about the case, such as names, addresses, and birthplaces of both spouses, a judge’s name, the court’s address, spousal and child support, custody resolution, and more.
When looking for proof of marriage dissolution online, you can get a divorce record or an abstract of a decree. A copy of a complete divorce decree (25-30 pages on average) can be obtained only from the courthouse where a divorce was finalized. Usually, only people who were parties in a divorce process, their lawyers, or relatives with a notarized application can get access to such files.
What Information Is Required to Search for Records?
It is possible to get divorce records online or in person. If you opt for the second variant, you need to know where the divorce was registered and visit the court clerk in that county. To look up divorce records online, you can use a special Public Access to Court Electronic Records system (PACER for short). However, information about recently formalized divorces may be missing in this archive, and you’ll need to fill out a query to obtain it.
In general, to initiate the search, you need to provide the following information:
- First and last names of both spouses
- State and city where marriage dissolution was registered
- The date of divorce
In most cases, it is enough to specify the names of spouses to get divorce records. However, the more details you have, the quicker the result will come out. If you don’t know the place where spouses filed for divorce, you should try the area where they resided. According to the laws in most US states, anybody who wants to end the marriage must live in the state/county where they will file for divorce for at least 90 days. In some areas, this period is 360 days.
How to Find Out if Someone Is Divorced Online?
There are third-party aggregate services that you can use to find divorce decrees online. The main advantage of such platforms is that they aren’t subject to any geographical restrictions. Therefore, you can retrieve the needed information from any county in the USA. However, such services aren’t sponsored by the government, so even though they provide free divorce record search online, you still have to pay a fee to see and download the findings. The most popular and dependable websites you can try out are mentioned below.
Government Registry
Government Registry is a credible website where you can look for billions of records, including divorce-related data. To check divorce status online, you need to enter the first and last names of spouses. The rest of the fields, including middle initials, age, and residential area, are optional. The default search mechanisms analyze the info nationwide and generate a list of possible matches. You need to look them through and choose the variant that is relevant for you. After that, you have to pay a fixed fee to get a complete report. If you think your search will take some time, it is better to use a 7-day trial for $2.95. The monthly subscription costs $25 approximately.
Court Record Finder
This website also requires the bare minimum of information to start looking for a divorce record. You only need to indicate the names and surnames of spouses and click “Search.” If you know the state and city where they lived, make sure to type in the data. If not, the service will carry out a countrywide scanning. Once done, you will see a list of names that are identical to information you’ve specified or resembling it. Besides, if the search task is complicated, you may get a list of possible relatives whom you can contact to ascertain if the data is correct. If you are lucky to get a report on the first try, with no additional in-depth research required, you need to pay $9.95 for a full report. If you would like to get unlimited access to the database for one month, the price will be $29.95.
Search Quarry
Similar to the mentioned websites, here you also need to specify the first and second names of spouses to begin the search. You will see a list of possible matches, containing names, ages, and residential areas. The result will be more precise when all optional sections, e.g., date and place of divorce, are filled out. The price for a single report is $14.95, while a 7-day trial costs $5 approximately. A yearly subscription is available for $35.4.
VitalChek
VitalChek is a user-friendly service where you can look for different types of records, including divorce certificates. However, the search process is a bit different from that on the previous websites. When clicking “Divorce Certificates,” you will be redirected to a new window. There, it is necessary to choose a state of divorce among the options available, specify city and county, and enter the date of divorce. Besides, you have to indicate the reason for your search. The fees depend on the state and can go as high as $80.
Where to Search Divorce Records for Free?
Searching divorce records for free is possible if you reach out to the court directly. You can do it by visiting the local government agency or submitting an online query via the official site.
Courthouse Search
If visiting a court in person is a suitable option for you, you can view all the needed files absolutely for free. However, you’ll have to pay for photocopies or certified copies of a divorce certificate. Of course, such documents are handed out only to people participating in a divorce, their legal representatives, or relatives with notarized applications.
If you can’t go to the courthouse, you should complete an online request form. Once again, viewing is free, but you’ll have to pay for copies of a record. Remember that most documents filed before 1999 are available in paper format only.
Vital Records Request
One more way to get the necessary divorce data is to request it through the state’s Vital Records department. First of all, you need to fill out the application. The number of fields in the form differs across states. In most cases, a person has to write the following:
- Full names of spouses
- Date of marriage dissolution or annulment
- Place of divorce or annulment
- Type of final decree
- Reason for requesting the copy
- Relationship to persons whose record is requested
- Daytime telephone number with area code
Next, submit the form to the local department and wait for the response. Pay the fixed price to view the divorce details. To learn what Vital Records department you should address, head to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and check out the list.
Though most divorce records in the US states are public, one or both parties involved in the process may request the court to seal the case. Such information is classified then as confidential. Usually, it happens when a divorce record contains data about:
- Child abuse or domestic violence
- Minors
- Finances and property of a company
- Things that can cause harm to one or both spouses when made public
- Mental illness and addiction of partner(s)
- High-profile individuals
While getting access to sealed divorce records is very difficult, it is still possible. For this, you need to:
- Come up with a compelling reason. You have to name solid arguments to convince the judge to unseal a divorce record. It is recommended to look through application laws and guidelines on the website of your county court.
- File a notice or petition and send it to all parties involved. Prepare documents, motions, answers, and supporting files related to the request to unseal a divorce record. In some states, it is also required to write a formal letter to the judge. Double-check whether you must notarize the petition or notice as the legal backing for the request.
- Attend the hearing. You will be notified about the hearing date. Sometimes, an applicant is asked to clarify their request personally in addition to the document submitted. Your main task is to sound persuasive and credible. If you succeed, a divorce record will be fully or partially unsealed to the public or a specific person only. If a judge rejects the request, you will be notified about the reasoning.