Search New York Divorce Records

It is a sad truth that many of the marriages nowadays are falling apart and divorce is now becoming commonplace. Due to its rapid increase in number since the 19th century, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) mandated that these records should be accessed by the public anytime. All fifty states in United States, including New York has created its own archive of documents. Records of Divorce in New York are maintained by the New York Vital Records Office.

A divorce record can be requested in a form of a decree that contains the separation term which is acknowledged and signed by the state judge. Another form of a divorce record is in a form of a certificate that has basic divorce data like the divorcee's name, the county where they were legally separated, the date and time along with their witnesses.

Unlike other documents that can be obtained from the Office of the Vital Records, an approval from the Supreme Court is needed in order to get a copy of the divorce documents. The document has to be requested from where the divorce has been granted. Several requirements are needed to get a copy of the certificate when you are requesting it in New York. One would be asked for identification together with a good reason. A processing fee of $10 would be asked when requesting for a record that is dated before 1963 and $30 for records starting from January 1963.

Are Divorce Records Public?

In New York, marrying again and planning to immigrate to a different country are among the top reasons why divorce records are being requested. When requesting for the divorce record, one should know simple divorce information such as the full name and the birth date of the people involved, date and place of the separation.

The Divorce record can be requested via mail for those who are living outside the county where the couple was legally separated. A check payment can be sent to the New York Vital Records Office. This option may take a longer time mainly because of the distance.

Online retrieval of the divorce court record has helped the retrieval of the divorce certificate because it is faster as you do not have to wait on queue. Aside from that, you can also save energy especially those who are requesting for the record in a different county since there is no need to go to the New York Vital Records Office. All you have to do is to log on to the official New York State website and search for the name of the bride or groom and the county and you can have the information that you need in just seconds.