There are a ton of websites on the internet that promise a free divorce record search. Unfortunately most of these are not telling the whole truth. What these websites will do is search for the people whose divorce records you would like to find and then tell you that they have found results based on that name but you then have to pay money to see the actual report. These reports are usually fairly expensive as well.
There are a number of reasons that people do a free divorce record search:
To prove genealogy lines. Often when a person passes away without leaving any will or instructions, property gets disputed and one of the ways to settle a property dispute is to look into marriage and divorce records to decide who gets what based on closeness of relation to the deceased.
To do a background check on a significant other. It is not unheard of for one party in a relationship to want to check out the other party's relationship history. A free divorce records search is one way to find out if the person you are interested in has ever been married or divorced (sometimes you are able to find the terms of the divorce as well).
Sometimes people lose their divorce records and think that a free divorce record search will turn them up and save them a call to their former spouse or a trip to their lawyer's office. You might need a copy of your divorce records if you ever decide to remarry-most states will want a copy of your divorce record to prove your divorce before they will issue a new marriage license. You might also need a copy of your divorce records if you ever decide to change you name.
The best way to do a free divorce record search is to contact the United States Vital Records offices. Vitalrec.com will explain how you can obtain the vital records (either yours or somebody else's). This office not only keeps track of marriage and divorce records, they keep track of birth certificates and death records as well. Vital Records is the only office that will have definitive records of a person's life and marriages.
You might be tempted to pay for one of those free divorce record searches, but before you feed in your credit card number, try other avenues of information gathering first. If you've lost your own records, it is easier to get a new copy from your lawyer or to contact your ex. If you are looking for information on somebody else and don't feel comfortable simply talking to him or her about his or her marriage history, you might think about doing a google search for them first.
Free divorce record searches are almost never truly free. It takes a lot of searching to find a service that will not charge you a single cent to obtain records on another person. Most of the time a free divorce records search has a ton of hidden fees.
How to Get a Divorce Tip #1
You need a lawyer. Even if you think that things will stay friendly and both you and your spouse make every effort to keep them that way, a lawyer must be consulted to make sure that everything is filled out and filed correctly. You can use the same lawyer if you want to keep the costs down, but a lawyer must be consulted. |
How to Get a Divorce Tip #2
Your County Clerk is the best place to go for divorce forms and filings. They will have the forms that are the most up to date. Using older forms can waste time and money when you are forced to fill out a more current version. Laws and forms change all the time, make sure yours are the correct ones to use! |
How to Get a Divorce Tip #3
This is not going to be an easy time for you. Even if you and your spouse are convinced that the divorce is in both of your best interests and things remain friendly, ending a marriage is never an easy process. Make sure you have a good system of support surrounding you to help you get through it. |
