Divorce records in America are public. You can search for divorce records in the comfort of your own home, or you can visit the Department of Health and Government Records. Although records are sometimes free, you may need to pay to use certain private or public services.
Get basic information about parties
It will be difficult to obtain a divorce record without certain pieces of basic information. At the very least, you should try to get the following:
The full name of each partner. Try to find the woman’s girlfriend’s name again, in case she changes her name before the divorce.
State and county where they filed for divorce. They may have separated in the area where they live. Date of divorce. This is necessary in some areas. You may need to search for a range of dates or contact the Special Records Department directly.
Determine the jurisdiction circuit where they are installed
The jurisdiction is the area of the court. In most districts, there are fewer judicial districts than districts, which means that fewer states form one judicial district. Almost every province has its own court system website, and a circuit directory should be listed there.
Some states have a dedicated family court system, so find a family court district.
Do your search
Find the category of records on the website and search by name. You will usually find a record of all that person’s placement. Go through the records to get a divorce case.
You probably can’t access the actual divorce notice on the website. Instead, write down the case number and contact the court directly to request the records. Many court websites will have instructions on how to do this. Contact the court if they do not.
However, many states do not allow third-parties to access the actual divorce laws.
Wait for a response
Be prepared to wait anywhere from two weeks to six months before you receive a call that papers are available for you to pick up. Papers may be sent to you.
Although simple, this method takes longer than obtaining records online. This method is probably only valid if the records are old.
Many states do not allow third-parties to reach a decision on divorce unless you are a close relative.
Find information stored online
Private companies collect divorce information and sell it to the public. The easiest way to find these websites is to search for “divorce records” and see which websites are appearing.
Many sites say it is “free,” but usually there is a charge attached somewhere. Private companies make money by selling memberships or access once.
Update the words
If you are searching for John Smith in Ohio, you can expect more hits. Scan the results to see if you can find the person you are looking for. According to their name, the records must show their age and place of residence, so that you can use this information to find the right person. Click on their name.
