Look Up Divorce Records Virginia

For the divorce decree, identify the Circuit Court that granted the divorce

A Virginia divorce decree is a court document containing the final judgment and the terms of the divorce. It is different from a divorce certificate issued through Virginia Vital Records. To request the decree or a certified court copy, start with the Circuit Court where the divorce was granted.

Earlier paperwork may contain the locality, case number, court name, or filing details needed to identify the correct court. A person's current home address does not reliably identify where the divorce case was handled.

Use the Virginia Circuit Court directory to find the originating court clerk: https://www.vacourts.gov/courts/circuit. Virginia court case information tools can help locate certain circuit-court matters by locality, name, case number, or hearing date, but they are not a statewide downloadable database of every divorce decree.

Before requesting a copy, gather the parties' names, divorce date, locality, and case number when available. Confirm the clerk's current copy request method, delivery options, payment method, and whether certification is needed. Circuit Court copies are generally charged at $0.50 per page for copies of papers, records, or electronic records, with a $2 certification fee when certification is requested. However, Virginia law provides that there is no charge to the recipient of a final order or decree when the clerk sends an attested copy of that final order or decree to that party.

For historical divorce records, separate Vital Records access from court access

Virginia's 25-year public-access rule applies to divorce vital records held by the State Registrar. It is not a blanket rule that closes or opens every court file, court index entry, or divorce decree. Court access follows separate Circuit Court rules and the court that handled the divorce remains the source for the decree and its terms.

Virginia Vital Records lists divorce records from 1918 to the present and links open historical records through an Ancestry collection. The VDH-linked historical collection can help identify a divorce event, but an index entry is not the full decree and should not be treated as proof of the court's detailed orders.

Historical lookup can help confirm names, event dates, and locations. Preserve the locality, case information, and source trail when moving from an index or historical result to the originating Circuit Court. If you need the actual decree, return to the Circuit Court that granted the divorce rather than treating the historical index as a substitute.

A recent restricted certificate request still follows Virginia Vital Records eligibility and identification requirements. Public historical access does not make every recent certified-copy request unrestricted.

Order the Virginia divorce certificate through the correct official route

A Virginia divorce certificate is a Vital Records product, separate from the divorce decree maintained by the Circuit Court that granted the divorce. Virginia Vital Records requests require the event information needed to identify the record, including both parties' names, the divorce date, the city or county, and the court involved. The requester must also provide the requester relationship or reason, contact information, return address, and signature on the application.

The VS6MD Marriage and Divorce Certificate Application requires the requester to submit identification and supporting information through the official Vital Records process. Eligible requesters include the person named on the record, parents, adult children, siblings, a current spouse, and legal representatives with required proof. Identification may be satisfied with one primary ID or two secondary IDs under Virginia Vital Records requirements.

For mailed VDH requests, submit the signed VS6MD application, a legible photocopy of identification, and the required payment. Mail requests use a $15 check or money order payable to the State Health Department and are sent to:

Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23218-1000

VDH provides online application options with payment and request updates. The Virginia Vital Records certificate/search fee is $15 effective July 1, 2026. The same fee applies when a search is performed and no certified copy is issued. VDH identification requirements and request instructions should be reviewed before submitting.

The VDH walk-in office is located at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, Virginia. Published walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A Virginia DMV route is a separate certified-vital-record option. DMV accepts the DL 82 Virginia Vital Record Application for marriage, divorce, and death certificates at all DMV customer service centers. DMV requires acceptable original identification, and its search fee is $17, including the $2 administration fee. The fee applies even when DMV cannot locate the record.

If DMV cannot immediately issue or print the certificate, DMV forwards the application to Virginia Vital Records for further research. If available, VDH mails the certificate to the address on the application. DMV availability does not change the separate Circuit Court route for obtaining the divorce decree.

Correct the originating record through the court that created it

Virginia Vital Records does not replace the originating court's correction process for divorce records. To correct marriage or divorce record information, contact the city or county Circuit Court that issued the marriage or divorce certificate.

After the court makes the correction, the court forwards corrected information to Vital Records. The applicant then submits the application indicating that a correction has been made so VDH can review the documentation received from the court.

Do not use birth-record or death-record amendment procedures as a substitute for a Virginia divorce-record correction request.

Before submitting a request, confirm what the recipient actually needs: a divorce decree, a certified divorce certificate, a historical index result, or another court document. Keep the locality, case number, request date, confirmation information, and source used for follow-up.

If the requested record is unavailable through one route, use the official custodian that created or maintains that record rather than assuming another database is a substitute.