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Free Divorce Records In New York

By Claire Dowell


Statistics have recorded that in the year 2012, there is a total of 58,556 divorces in the New York State. Grounds for the marriage dissolution in the state as recorded are abandonment with the highest percentage, cruelty which came next to the former, imprisonment, adultery and etc. Among these numbers of divorce, marriages that lasted from 5 - 9 years gained the highest percentage in the breakdown.

Divorce decrees, the more comprehensive type of divorce document are available only at the local courthouse in the county where the divorce was filed and ratified. Usually, it is the judge of the local court who finalizes the decree, and sets for the terms and conditions of the divorce. Data of such proceeding are then archived at the local courthouse. Divorce certificates, on the other hand, are accessible through the New York State Department of Health. Such entity is in fact the primary repository for all vital documents in the Big Apple State. Certificates that are obtainable through this agency, nevertheless, are those of divorces registered since January 1863.

Although most records generated by government repositories are deemed public, divorce records specifically divorce decrees are restricted only to the persons indicated in the document and to those who have been issued with a court order allowing them to request for such file. Divorce certificates, the other type of divorce record, are accessible through the Department of Public Health in New York State. They are not restricted as they contain only the basic information about the divorce. Nonetheless, the only certificates of divorce that can be accessed or requested at the state level are those that transpired and recorded on or after January 1, 1963.

Divorce records in New York are perused for a number of reasons which include remarriage post-divorce, reinstatement of a woman's maiden name, and other whatsoever legal transactions. To procure these documents, you can pay a visit to the Vital Records Section of the New York State Department of Health. There are two types of divorce records in New York: divorce decree and divorce certificate. The former is prepared by the court as it is the Chief Judge of the Court who sets forth the terms and conditions of the divorce. Hence, divorce decree applications must be filed at the Clerk's Office in the county where the decree was issued. The latter form which is the divorce certificate can be obtained at the state office. Certificates that are available here, though, are only those of divorces granted on or after January 1, 1963.

Orders placed with priority handling are processed within 2 - 4 weeks while those with regular handling take 10 - 12 weeks to be processed. To place an order for any divorce records in New York, a form must be completed. First, you have to download this through the Department of Health's online portal. Take note that divorce registers in New York, specifically the more comprehensive type or divorce decrees, are restricted to those people indicated in the record. If you are outside the restriction, you have to secure a New York State Court Order before you can file a request for a divorce record in the State of New York. This court order must then be submitted along with the completed application or request form to the right agency. The payment must also be enclosed and must be made via check or money order only.

The turnaround time depends significantly on the type of handling as well. Requests with priority handling are processed within 2 - 4 weeks whereas requests with regular handling are processed within 10 - 12 weeks. Are divorce records public? In New York State, yes they are. However, certain protocol when it comes to the procurement procedure must be followed in order to get a hold of these crucial archives. However, manually procuring them can be quite tedious and time-consuming. Good thing that with technology today, there are various record solutions online that offer the same service in a more expedited and efficient manner.




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