West Virginia Divorce Records

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

West Virginia divorce records might be considered to be in the middle of the road in terms of the ease of their acquisition. Some states have absolutely no divorce records on the statewide level at all, which means that counties are the only source of information-most of which are harder to resource than state entities. Other states keep divorce records completely on the state level.

In West Virginia, certified copies of divorce records are available primarily through the Chancery Side of the Clerk of Circuit Court in the place where the divorce was granted. However, the Vital Registration Office, which maintains birth, death, and other records, does keep a registry of divorces that dates back to 1968. With this registry, the state can search for divorce records and often provide unofficial confirmation of the basic facts of a divorce record.

To find these West Virginia divorce records, one can submit written requests, but this is only recommended for those who have time to plan ahead or aren't in a hurry. Unfortunately, written requests sometimes take a long time to answer, which is part of the reason that more and more researchers have started using online public records searches to supplement or substitute for written requests. Searching online is not only simpler than sending written requests (especially on the county level), but it can also frequently result in getting results back faster.

West Virginia divorce certificates and information is kept and indexed since 1968. There are no certified copies available from the state office. If you need a certified copy, you may contact the Clerk of Circuit Court, Chancery Side, in the county where the divorce was granted. The fees will vary, and you may have to provide evidence of eligibility. For more information visit: West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources