How to Get a Copy of Your Divorce Decree in California

To get a copy of your divorce decree in California, contact the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was finalized and ask for a certified copy of the judgment. That court is the only place that keeps the actual decree. The statewide fee to certify a court document is $40, plus $0.50 per page for the copy itself.¹

Which Office Actually Has Your Decree

Only the Superior Court that granted the divorce holds the judgment. The California Department of Public Health does not issue divorce decrees, and the County Clerk-Recorder does not keep them either.²³ If you’ve moved out of that county, or out of California, you still have to go back to the original court. Addresses and phone numbers for all 58 Superior Courts are listed on courts.ca.gov.⁴

What to Have Ready Before You Contact the Court

The request goes faster if you can give the clerk enough to pull the file on the first try.

Both spouses’ full legal names as they appeared on the divorce filing.
The case number, if you have it. It is the single most useful item and usually appears on any paperwork from the original proceedings.
The date the divorce was finalized, or at least the year. The separation date is not the same thing, and the final judgment often lands months later.
A valid photo ID for in-person requests.

Without a case number, the clerk can search by name and date, but a search that runs longer than ten minutes triggers an added $15 fee.

Ways to Submit the Request

In Person

Going to the clerk’s office is the fastest option. Bring photo ID, know your case number or the names and approximate date, and be ready to pay. Most clerks accept cash, checks, and credit cards. Some courts can pull the file and copy it while you wait; busier ones may ask you to come back later the same day.

By Mail

Mail requests generally need a written letter or the court’s request form (posted on the court’s website), a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment by check or money order made out to the Superior Court. Between postal time and the court’s processing queue, expect several weeks.⁵

Online

Some counties offer online request portals; availability varies, so check the specific court’s site. California courts can issue documents with electronic signatures, and an electronically certified copy carries the same legal weight as one with a paper seal.⁶

Fees, Page Charges, and Waivers

Under Government Code Section 70626, certifying a court document costs $40 statewide.¹ The copy itself is $0.50 per page. A typical divorce judgment runs several pages, so a certified copy usually lands somewhere around $43 to $50 total. A clerk search over ten minutes adds $15. An uncertified copy skips the $40 and costs only the per-page fee, but it will not be accepted for remarriage, property transfers, name changes with government agencies, or use abroad.

Processing times swing with the court’s workload. In-person requests at slower courts can be finished the same day. Mail and online requests generally take a few weeks, and courts with heavy backlogs may run 30 days or longer. Older records held off-site or on microfilm can take longer to retrieve.

If You Can’t Afford the Fees

You can apply for a fee waiver using Form FW-001 (Request to Waive Court Fees). Certifying and copying records is among the costs that can be waived.⁷ You qualify if you receive Medi-Cal, CalFresh, SSI, CalWORKs, or county general assistance, or if your income is low enough that court fees would make it hard to cover basic household needs. File the FW-001 with the same court handling your copy request.

If You Don’t Remember Which County

For divorces finalized between 1962 and June 1984, the California Department of Public Health can issue a Certificate of Record that shows the county and case number of the divorce, for a $18 fee.²⁸ That information is enough to identify the right Superior Court for the actual decree. CDPH has no records for divorces outside that 1962–1984 window. If yours falls before or after that period and you truly can’t recall the county, check any old paperwork, contact the attorney who handled the case, or call the Superior Court in the county where you lived during the marriage.

A Certificate of Record Is Not the Decree

The Certificate of Record is a summary. It lists the parties, filing date, county, and case number, and nothing else about the terms of the divorce.² The divorce decree, filed on Judicial Council Form FL-180, is the judgment itself, containing property division, support orders, custody and visitation, name restoration, and any restraining orders.⁹ Banks, government agencies, and foreign consulates will not accept a Certificate of Record in place of the judgment.

Getting an Apostille for Use Outside the United States

If you need to present the decree in another country, most nations require an apostille from the California Secretary of State authenticating the court’s issuance. The Secretary of State will only apostille a certified copy bearing the court clerk’s original signature, not a photocopy.¹⁰

The apostille fee is $20 per document, and you can request one two ways:

By mail. Send the certified decree, a cover sheet naming the destination country, a $20 check or money order payable to the Secretary of State, and a self-addressed return envelope to the Sacramento office. As of early 2026, mail processing was several weeks behind, with the office working through requests received in late February.¹¹
In person. Same-day service is available at the Sacramento office (1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor) and the Los Angeles office (300 South Spring Street, Room 12513). The $20 fee applies, plus a $6 special handling fee per signature authenticated. Sacramento accepts cash; Los Angeles does not.¹⁰

Using the Decree to Change Your Name Back

If your decree restored your former name, Section 4(f) of the FL-180 shows it. Update Social Security first: SSA accepts a divorce decree as proof of the new name if the decree specifically states the name you want on the card.¹² If the decree does not mention a name change, you’ll need supplemental documents like a birth certificate to establish the name you’re reverting to. There is no fee to update the Social Security card.

Once SSA has processed the change, take the updated card to the DMV; California requires the Social Security update before it will update your license. Bring the dissolution document too, since the DMV may want to see proof of prior legal name changes.¹³

Confidential Marriages and Very Old Records

A confidential marriage certificate is sealed and can only be released with a court order.¹⁴ The dissolution itself, though, is a regular Superior Court case, and you request the decree the same way described above. If the divorce case was separately sealed, you would need to petition the court for access.

Family law judgments are generally retained permanently, and courts can keep records in paper, electronic, or microfilm form.¹⁵ A decades-old decree should still exist. If the clerk can’t locate the file at first, ask whether it may be in archived or off-site storage and what an archive search requires.

1
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 70626
2
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Obtaining Certified Copies of Divorce Records
3
Office of the County Clerk-Recorder. Obtain Copies of Divorce Records
4
Judicial Branch of California. Public Records
5
Superior Court of California | County of Yuba. Dissolution/Divorce
6
Judicial Branch of California. Requirements for Signatures on Documents
7
California Courts. Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs
8
CDPH – CA.gov. Vital Records Fees
9
California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
10
California Secretary of State. Request an Apostille
11
California Secretary of State. Current Processing Dates
12
Social Security Administration. Evidence Required to Process a Name Change on the SSN Based on Divorce, Dissolution, or Annulment
13
State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License or ID Card Updates
14
Justia Law. California Family Code 500-511 – Chapter 1 General Provisions
15
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 68150