Divorce is an official procedure in the US. Their records are mandated by law (Freedom of Information Act, 1966) to be maintained and availed for public access and retrieval. Every state has a central agency assigned with the task under its public health or information department. They come under State jurisdiction and are provided practically free of charge. Although considered public records, certain information contained in these free divorce records are potentially personal in nature, thus, procedures are required for acquiring and utilizing them.

A main reason for people to obtain such documents is to provide an official certification of the dissolution of their past marriage or marriages as a pre-requisite to apply for a license to remarry. Other common reasons for public divorce records retrieval are replacement of copies that got lost or destroyed, official background checks and verification. Most of all, they are discreetly investigated by nosey neighbors, friends, relatives and colleagues or concerned romantic partners looking to advance the relationship.

If you know the particular county at which the Final Decree of the divorce was granted, the whole process of obtaining the associated information is much easier. You may have to visit the office physically especially if waiting time is an issue. Mail, telephone, fax and increasingly the online option over the internet are typically also offered. The standard information on divorce records comprises the names and ages of the couple, date and place of marriage and divorce, filing number, asset division, settlement, children and their custody and visitation arrangement, reason for divorce and other pertinent information. If there were multiple divorces, searches at State repositories will produce all of them as long as they were granted within the same state.

Divorce Public Records can generally also be requested from the appointed central State agency in person, mail, telephone, fax and online over the internet. The fees are usually nominal as they are charged to cover only the administrative and other overhead costs but not for the records per se. As is characteristic of government outfits, waiting time is involved ranging from same-day to several months depending on the mode of request, queue and the particular office involved.

With the advent of computerization and the internet, public records can now be readily found online and divorce records are no exception. There are basically two versions namely the free and fee-based. Free sources are mainly governmental facilities but procedures and waiting time have to be contended with. Besides, they're often far from being plug-and-play so touch-up is usually necessary. Free divorce records from private websites are best avoided given their notoriety of virus and malware. By and large, the wisdom is in going with fee-based providers as their professional standards are often necessary for official purposes.

Divorce record search is within reach of just about anyone who so desires these days. It used to be exclusive to professional practitioners or government officials. Nowadays, more searches are actually conducted for private reasons than in official undertakings. Commercial record providers have definitely given the practice a big boost. Operating primarily online over the internet, they are convenient, low-cost, 24/7 and practically instant. Most of all, they can be 100% discreet.