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For Virginia divorce records, use the Office of Vital Records for the state divorce certificate and apply the state access rules based on the event date. If you need the signed decree, settlement terms or filings, request the court record from the circuit court that granted the divorce.
Event age changes the Virginia vital-record access question
Virginia publishes a 25-year threshold for marriage and divorce records to become public information. A recent divorce therefore should not be approached the same way as an older event that has crossed that threshold. The state application still needs enough identifying information to locate the record and requires the requester to follow the ID process.
The public-information threshold applies to the state vital record, not to every document filed in the divorce case. Court files can contain confidential or restricted material even when the basic divorce event can be confirmed through Vital Records.
State divorce record versus circuit-court decree
VDH divorce record
- State certification of the divorce event.
- Coverage begins with the statewide series published by Vital Records.
- Access rules depend partly on how long ago the event occurred.
Circuit-court decree
- Judgment entered by the court that granted the divorce.
- Used when the receiving party needs court terms or the signed order.
- Requested from the court rather than the state vital-record certificate system.
Information to establish before a Virginia request
| Detail | Reason |
|---|---|
| Names of the divorced parties | Identifies the event in the state or court system. |
| Date or approximate date | Determines coverage and the 25-year public-access threshold. |
| Court / locality | Points to the circuit court when a decree is needed. |
| Requester ID | Required for the state Vital Records application process. |
Route a Virginia divorce inquiry without mixing sources
1
Determine the event ageThis frames the state vital-record access rule.2
Decide whether proof or decree is neededA certificate and a court judgment are not interchangeable.3
Use the state form for the vital recordFollow Virginia’s application and identification requirements.4
Contact the circuit court for case documentsRequest the decree or court orders from the locality that heard the divorce.