In the US, it is quite common to find people looking for FREE divorce records. But, ‘Can you really get free divorce records?’ Well, as divorce records are public information you can surely get them for free in all the US States. Public records, as the name suggests, are open and free to the public. Divorce along with birth, marriage, and death are the public vital records that can be obtained for FREE.

Reasons Behind Free Divorce Records:

There are many reasons why people want free divorce records. Many people look for free divorce records to get information mention here such as child custody cases, financial listings, dates of lawsuits and evidence of any previous marriages. Free divorce records are also needed by those interested in Genealogy and wish to learn a lot about your family. Along with your own divorce record, you can even get a copy of someone else’s but for that there are certain conditions. To obtain free divorce records, you need to follow a certain procedure.

Procedure to Get Your Own Divorce Record:

If you mean ‘your’ own divorce record, go directly to the Domestic Relations/Family Court Clerk of Court where your divorce took place and ask them to assist you. Since divorce cases are processed in courts of state, you can get all the relevant information here regarding free divorce record. If the Domestic Relations Court has a website, most Court websites have the documents included on their site, usually attached to the Courts local rules.

Another way to find free divorce records in any of the US States is to visit the website of the records department of the county court where the divorce took place. This is relatively easy when you spend some time on the internet as there are a number of different websites that will allow you to get free divorce records. Most states now have their divorce records information online in a database that we are able to access for you. Fill the forms and send the important papers and your records should arrive in five to seven business days. So, getting FREE divorce records is just a matter a few clicks.

You can also visit your state’s Office of Vital Records personally to get FREE divorce records. You can ask for a ‘divorce decree’ or a ‘noncertified divorce record.’ Depending upon what you are looking for, you will have to fill out the necessary forms. Also you may have to provide identification proof as requested by the state. You may need to pay a nominal copy fee. Fill the form properly and submit it to the vital records office. Wait two to three weeks for the order to process.

Procedure to Get Divorce Record of Another Person:

In case you are looking for divorce records of some other person, you need to do some research work first. When looking for free divorce records of other person, you need be sure that the facts provided by you are entirely correct. So it is essential to first gather as much pertinent information as you can, including the full name of both the husband and the wife, the wife’s maiden name, and the location, date and number of the court case.

Check with the state’s Office of Vital Records to see what your options are for third-party requests. There might be certain conditions as divorce records are certified, legal documents that contain more information about the divorce than the decree or noncertified copies. You can go to the state-affiliated vital records website to fill out the necessary forms. Your records should arrive in five to seven business days.

You may also visit the court’s office to see all documented divorce papers free of charge. However, you will have to pay a small cost to have duplicated copies made of the divorce records you may be interested in.

Check out nearby libraries in your area to see if they have vital records such as marriage licenses, death and birth certificates. Many times you will be able to find divorce records there also. Also, almost any library will allow you to print up to 20 pages per day for free.

To know more about how to search for divorce records of someone else in the US, check this video.

Some Important Points:

1. In some of the US states, you can get free divorce records only when you are a party to the marriage and divorce (or the attorney). At times you may need to prove some relationship to one of the parties involved and justify your statement with some identification of your own.
2. With free divorce records you may get a very limited record. This means you may not even get all of the information that you need because the free records will not release all the information that they can. For the complete information you will have to pay a fee.
3. For relevant information always get free divorce records from reliable sources. Misleading information can be too hard for you to handle.

To conclude, it is easy to get free divorce records in most of the US States if you know the procedure properly.

Here is a list of US states and their Office of Vital Records:

• Alabama Vital Records 
• Alaska Vital Records
• Arizona Vital Records
• Arkansas Vital Records
• California Vital Records
• Colorado Vital Records
• Connecticut Vital Records
• Delaware Vital Records
• District of Columbia Vital Records
• Florida Vital Records
• Georgia Vital Records
• Hawaii Vital Records
• Idaho Vital Records
• Illinois Vital Records
• Indiana Vital Records
• Iowa Vital Records
• Kansas Vital Records
• Kentucky Vital Records
• Louisiana Vital Records
• Maine Vital Records
• Maryland Vital Records
• Massachusetts Vital Records
• Michigan Vital Records
• Minnesota Vital Records
• Mississippi Vital Records
• Missouri Vital Records
• Montana Vital Records
• Nebraska Vital Records
• Nevada Vital Records
• New Hampshire Vital Records
• New Jersey Vital Records
• New Mexico Vital Records
• New York Vital Records
• North Carolina Vital Records
• North Dakota Vital Records
• Ohio Vital Records
• Oklahoma Vital Records
• Oregon Vital Records
• Pennsylvania Vital Records
• Rhode Island Vital Records
• South Carolina Vital Records
• South Dakota Vital Records
• Tennessee Vital Records
• Texas Vital Records
• Utah Vital Records
• Vermont Vital Records  
• Virginia Vital Records  
• Washington Vital Records  
• West Virginia Vital Records  
• Wisconsin Vital Records  
• Wyoming Vital Records