In today's fast-paced world, marriage, which was considered as one of the greatest traditional virtues, has lost much of its meaning and traditional value. Many marriages are today ending up in divorce. With so many instances of divorce, and divorced people getting married again, the authorities will surely have to maintain the divorce records, and they are doing just this, in North Carolina, and elsewhere in the country. These records are maintained in accordance with the state laws and county authorities.
Divorce records are available at the county clerk's office, and at the central state repository for the use of both public and government reference and information. This has been done since 1967, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA), which was approved in 1966. However, many US states had it at the county level much before that.
These records are generally obtainable free of charge, except for the nominal fee that is charged to search the database and administrative charges.
There are certain rules you need to follow while requesting for a divorce record. It is essential to remember this.
Please write the date of the request when you are applying. Full name of the bride/groom including nicknames, alternate spellings and others should be furnished. The date and place of marriage and divorce must also be included. You need to supply information about the place from where the marriage certificate was issued. Other information that must be provided includes your relationship with the concerned individual, and your purpose of obtaining these records. And finally, before sending your application, you will need to sign it and send the money once you are sure of the exact amount.
It is not possible for you to get the complete information from the divorce record, but you can at least get the confirmation on whether the person is indeed divorced or not. This can be vital if you are planning to get married to him/her and want to be certain prior to the ceremony. You can obtain the details about the date of divorce, and the county from where it was settled. The information that is denied to you includes personal data relating to the divorce like the amount of alimony or issues relating to child custody, the cause of divorce, and others like this.
If in case you are re-marrying, and you want proof of the divorce, the document that you will receive should be sufficient to prove your case.
You may walk in to the office with your request, call up and apply on the telephone. While doing so, you can ask them to quote an amount for the service, and then send a money order or a check with your request.
The divorce records are stored at the county level, so you will need to send your application to the county clerk’s office. Specific government agencies are entrusted with handing out the submitted request.
If you do not know the county, just send your application to the below office address; it will go to the right county. When the office receives your application, it forwards your application to the specific county office from where you can get the information.
(919) 733-3526
To obtain a North Carolina divorce abstract, follow these directions:
Step 1.
First, download the North Carolina Marriage or Divorce application.
Step 2.
It is important that you read all the instructions. Then complete the divorce portion of the form with the name of the husband, wife, date of divorce, location of divorce, and your relationship . Be sure to make a copy of your valid ID to include with the form.
Step 3.
Send the completed application form to the address below. Send a certified check or money order for $24 to cover the fee.
You may send your completed form to:
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Public Health - Vital Records Unit
1903 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1903
Where to Find North Carolina Divorce Certificates
Divorce records for the state of North Carolina are kept at the Vital Records office of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Divorce abstracts from all counties are kept at this office since 1958. Any divorce record prior to 1958 must be obtained from the County Clerk of Court.
North Carolina Restrictions
In North Carolina, divorce records are not available to the public. Certified copies of a divorce abstract can only be requested by a person listed on the document, a spouse, sibling, direct descendant or ancestor, or a stepparent or stepchild.
Online Availability of Divorce Records
The Vital Records office has partnered with VitalCheck to process online orders for an additional fee. Walk in orders at the office in Raleigh are acceptable as well for an additional same-day service fee.
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