How to Find Divorce Records in Virginia: VDH and Circuit Courts

To find divorce records in Virginia, you go to one of two places depending on what you need. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) issues divorce certificates for any divorce finalized in the state from 1918 to the present. The Clerk of the Circuit Court that granted the divorce holds the full case file, including the final decree with the court’s rulings on property, support, custody, and name changes.

Decide Which Record You Actually Need

A divorce certificate from VDH is a short summary document. It confirms the divorce happened and shows the names of both spouses, the date it was finalized, and the county or city where it was granted. It works the way a birth certificate works: proof that the event occurred, nothing more.

The court file is the full case: petition, financial disclosures, motions, any agreements, and the final decree. The decree is what most people are really after, because it contains the terms the court ordered. If you need to prove specific rulings rather than just the fact of the divorce, request from the Circuit Court. If you only need proof that the marriage was legally dissolved, VDH is faster and cheaper.

Who Can Request Virginia Divorce Records

VDH restricts access to divorce certificates to immediate family: spouses, parents, children, siblings, and grandparents of the individuals named on the record. You have to show a valid government-issued ID proving both your identity and your relationship. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws cannot obtain a certificate from VDH.¹

There is one exception that matters for genealogy and older research. Virginia divorce records become public 25 years after the event, and after that anyone can request a copy regardless of relationship.²

Court files at the Circuit Court are generally open, since Virginia court proceedings are public record by default. A judge can seal specific documents on a showing of harm, to protect children, or when material is privileged or highly sensitive, but sealing typically covers particular filings rather than the whole case.

Requesting a Divorce Certificate From VDH

VDH’s Division of Vital Records in Richmond holds every Virginia divorce certificate from 1918 forward.³ Three ways to request, all leading to the same certified document.

Online

VDH’s online portal is the fastest of the standard options. You fill out the application, upload a legible copy of your government-issued ID, sign electronically, and pay by credit card. Processing takes roughly two weeks.⁴ The fee is $12 per copy.³

By Mail

Download the form from VDH, complete it by hand, and mail it with a photocopy of your ID and $12 per copy. Checks and money orders should be payable to “State Health Department.” Mail requests take up to four weeks from the date VDH receives them.⁴ Applications missing the ID or signature come back unprocessed.

Expedited Through VitalChek

For urgent requests, VDH uses VitalChek, a third-party vendor.⁵ VitalChek charges $20.80 per copy (the $12 state fee plus a service charge) and offers next-day processing with express delivery.³ VDH is not affiliated with third-party document companies beyond VitalChek for expedited certificate processing.

The $12 state fee is non-refundable even if VDH cannot locate a matching record. Payment options include check, money order, credit card, or mobile pay.³

Requesting Records From a Circuit Court

The full case file, including the final decree, is at the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county or city where the divorce was granted. Virginia has independent cities that run their own courts, so a divorce in the City of Richmond went through a different clerk than one in Henrico County, even though they share a border. The Virginia Judicial System website lists every circuit court if you’re not sure which one handled the case.⁶

Most clerks accept requests in person or by mail. For a mail request, send a letter identifying the case (both names and approximate date), specify the documents you want, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Some courts have their own request forms, so it’s worth calling or checking the court’s website first.

Circuit court copy fees follow the statewide schedule in Virginia Code 17.1-275: $0.50 per page, plus $2.00 to certify with the court seal, plus another $0.50 if you also need the judge’s certificate attached.⁷

Two cost breaks apply if you were a party to the divorce. The $60 filing fee paid at the start of the case includes one certified copy of the final decree. And there is no charge for sending an attested copy of a final order or decree to a party named in it.⁷ Third-party requesters pay the standard per-page rate and certification.

In-person requests are often filled the same day or within a few days. Mail timelines depend on the court’s workload.

The Online Case Index

Virginia’s Online Case Information System covers many but not all circuit courts. You can search by name, case number, or hearing date. There’s no statewide search, and some courts, including Fairfax Circuit Court, don’t participate and must be contacted directly.⁸ The system shows case index information rather than downloadable documents, so the clerk still has to fill any actual document request.

For older matches, VDH partners with Ancestry.com to host a searchable index of divorce records from 1918 forward. That index is a good way to confirm a divorce occurred and pin down the date and jurisdiction before paying for a certified copy. The VDH genealogy page links directly to the search.² The index itself is not a substitute for a certified copy if you need one for legal use.

Information to Gather Before You Request

Full names of both spouses, including maiden names and any prior names, since the record may be filed under a name the person no longer uses.
Date of the divorce, or at least the approximate year. VDH’s online application asks for the specific date and location.⁵
County or city where the divorce was granted. Court records are held locally, and VDH indexes by jurisdiction.
Your relationship to the parties. VDH asks why you’re requesting the record and how you’re related.

Missing one of these can delay the request or produce a “record not found” response, and the fee still applies.

Divorces Before 1918

VDH has no records for divorces finalized before 1918. Older records may be in county court records or in the Legislative Petition collection at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.⁹ VDH’s genealogy page points anyone doing historical research to the Library of Virginia’s Archives Division.² Expect a more involved search.

Using a Virginia Divorce Decree Abroad

If you need to use the decree in another country, you’ll usually need an apostille. Apostilles are issued in Virginia by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office in Richmond.¹⁰ Submit a certified copy bearing the circuit court clerk’s original signature and official seal. Photocopies, scans, and printouts are rejected. The Secretary’s office confirms the clerk is properly registered but doesn’t control what the foreign government requires, so check with the destination country’s embassy about translation or other legalization steps. If the destination isn’t a Hague Convention member, the process typically involves authentication by the U.S. Department of State followed by legalization at that country’s embassy.

1
Virginia Department of Health. Vital Records: Birth, Marriage, Divorce, and Death Certificates
2
Virginia Department of Health. Genealogy – Vital Records
3
Office of Vital Records. Office of Vital Records
4
Virginia Department of Health. Vital Records Forms
5
Virginia Department of Health. Online Application for Certification of a Vital Record
6
Virginia Judicial System Court Self-Help. Divorce
7
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 17.1-275 – Fees Collected by Clerks of Circuit Courts Generally
8
Virginia Judicial System. Circuit Court Case Information
9
The Library of Virginia. Birth, Marriage, and Death Records – Section: Divorce Records
10
Secretary of the Commonwealth. Authentications