How to Find Divorce Records From New York
Obtaining a copy of your divorce decree in New York is easy. Divorce decrees before January 1, 1963 are filed with the county court. Those filed after January 1, 1963 are called divorce certificates and they are maintained by the New York State Department of Health. Only the husband or wife involved in the divorce proceeding or someone with a New York state court order may access divorce records.
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Instructions
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Get your divorce decree from the court. If your divorce occurred before Jan. 1, 1963, the decree is maintained by the court in the county where the divorce became official. You can find the court in question through the New York courts locator (see Resources).
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Order your divorce certificate online through VitalChek (see Resources), a private business that the state health department has partnered with to provide online and phone orders. VitalChek charged $52.25 for delivering a divorce certificate, as of May 2010. Requests are processed in 5 to 7 business days, according to the website.
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Order your divorce certificate by phone. The VitalChek phone number is 1-877-854-4481. The total charge for phone orders, as of May 2010, was $52.25.
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Order your divorce certificate sent to you by mail. You can download the form from the health department's website (see Resources). The fee for regular processing, which takes six to eight weeks, was $30 as of May 2010. For regular processing, mail your form to:
New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602.For priority processing, the fee is $45 and you will receive your certificate within three weeks. For priority processing, mail your form to:
New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Certification Unit
800 North Pearl Street
Menands, NY 12204
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Tips & Warnings
You must submit a copy of a valid form of identification--driver license, state issued identification card, passport, or military identification--to receive your divorce certificate. In addition, two utility or phone bills or a recent letter from a government agency will qualify as a form of identification.
