Illinois Divorce Records

To begin, add a divorce record or view a list of locations and resources for Illinois divorce records.

In Illinois, divorce records may be the hardest to find among all vital records. This is because the only real source for Illinois divorce records is the county where the proceedings occurred. This is often a problem, as it's difficult to discern which county a divorce occurred in, especially in the case of genealogy or historical research.

The Illinois Department of Public Health does, however, have an index of divorces that occurred within the state from 1962 to the present. While this isn't perfect, it is a good start, although this index is organized by the husband's name only.

For records prior to 1962, or to get official copies, the county clerk has to be contacted. Or, as an alternative, you might try searching online public records finders to potentially find the records you need in far less time, and without having to hunt down the right county clerk to contact.

To receive a divorce record fill out the Illinois Divorce Certificate Mail-in Form. Mail your application to:

Illinois divorce certificates may not be available from the state, although the records for divorces are kept from 1962 to the present. You may receive non-certified information for the fee of $5.00 from the state. If you need more than general information, you may contact the county clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. For more information visit: Illinois Department of Public Health