Georgia Form 3907 is the state’s Report of Divorce, Annulment, or Dissolution of Marriage, and you hand it to the clerk of Superior Court at the same time you file your divorce petition. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-22, a completed report has to be in the case file before a judge will sign the final decree.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 31, Chapter 10 – Vital Records The clerk later forwards it to the Georgia Department of Public Health, which uses the information to maintain the state’s registry of marital status changes.
Where to Get the Form
The state registrar prescribes the form, but you pick it up from the clerk of Superior Court in the county where you’re filing. Most clerks include Form 3907 in the standard self-help divorce packet at the courthouse.2Athens-Clarke County, GA – Official Website. Self Help Forms Several judicial circuits also post a downloadable PDF on their websites.3Southern Judicial Circuit. Report of Divorce, Annulment or Dissolution of Marriage If your county doesn’t post one, call the clerk’s office before making the trip.
How to Fill Out Each Field
Form 3907 is a single page with 15 numbered fields. Use black ink so the state’s scanning equipment can read every entry.
- Field 1 — Civil Action Number. The case number the clerk assigns when you file the petition. If you don’t have it yet, the clerk can add it at filing.
- Field 2 — Date Decree Granted. Leave blank. The clerk fills this in after the judge signs the final decree.
- Field 3 — County Decree Granted. The Georgia county where the divorce is filed and decided.
- Fields 4–8 — Wife’s Information. Full legal name (first, middle, last), maiden or birth last name, date of birth, county of residence, and which marriage this is for her (first, second, and so on).
- Fields 9–12 — Husband’s Information. Full legal name including any generational suffix like Jr. or III, date of birth, county of residence, and which marriage this is for him.
- Field 13 — Date of This Marriage. The month, day, and year of the original marriage.
- Field 14 — Grounds for Divorce. The specific ground under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3. Georgia recognizes 13 grounds; the one most commonly cited is that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.”
- Field 15 — Number of Children Under 18. Every minor child whose custody or support is addressed by the court, not just biological children.
Check every name against each spouse’s government-issued ID. A misspelling here becomes part of the state’s permanent vital records registry and later requires a formal amendment to fix.
When and Where to File It
You present the completed Form 3907 to the clerk of Superior Court when you file your divorce petition, not at the end of the case. The statute is specific: the report “shall be presented to the clerk of the court with the petition.”1Justia. Georgia Code Title 31, Chapter 10 – Vital Records A judge cannot sign the final decree until the report is in the file, so forgetting it at the initial filing stage delays the whole divorce.3Southern Judicial Circuit. Report of Divorce, Annulment or Dissolution of Marriage
You file the divorce itself in the county where the defendant lives, or, if the defendant has moved out of state, in the county where you have lived for at least six months.4Georgia.gov. File for Divorce Form 3907 goes to that same clerk. There is no separate fee for the report; it’s part of the overall divorce filing.
What Happens After the Judge Signs
Once the judge grants the decree, the clerk fills in the remaining fields (mainly the date the decree was granted) and forwards the report to the Georgia Department of Public Health.1Justia. Georgia Code Title 31, Chapter 10 – Vital Records
One thing to know before you request records later: DPH can confirm that a divorce occurred, but it does not hold copies of the actual decree.5Georgia.gov. Request Vital Records The DPH verification lists only the names, county, and date. It says nothing about custody, property division, or support. When another state’s court, an insurance company, or a federal agency asks for your “divorce decree,” a DPH verification usually won’t satisfy the request. The signed decree itself stays with the clerk of Superior Court in the county that granted it, and that’s where you go for a certified copy for remarriage, a passport name change, or registering a custody order in another state. Fees for certified copies vary by county.
Fixing an Error After Filing
If you catch a mistake after the report has been filed, corrections start with the clerk of Superior Court in the county where the decree was granted, not with the state office. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-23, that clerk handles amendments to divorce reports.6Georgia Code Title 31. Health. Georgia Code 31-10-23
Bring documentation supporting the correction: a certified birth certificate, driver’s license, or the final divorce decree showing the accurate information. The clerk submits the amended report to DPH, which marks the record “amended” and notes the date and type of evidence.6Georgia Code Title 31. Health. Georgia Code 31-10-23 DPH charges $10 for an amendment plus the cost of any new certificate issued.7Georgia Department of Public Health. Fees If the state registrar finds the supporting documentation insufficient, the amendment is denied, and you’re advised of your right to appeal to a court.
Minor corrections made within one year of the decree date may not trigger the “amended” label; DPH regulations allow small fixes during that window without a formal notation. After that first year, every change results in a permanent “amended” mark on the record.