How to Get a Copy of Your Divorce Decree in Indiana

To get a copy of your divorce decree in Indiana, contact the clerk of the court in the county where the divorce was finalized and request the record in person, by mail, or through the county’s online portal. Copies cost $1 per page, and a certified copy with the clerk’s seal costs up to $5 more per document.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 33-37-5-1 – Preparing Transcript or Copy of Record2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-8 – Fees and Copies Divorce decrees are public court records in Indiana, so you don’t need to prove any special relationship to the case to get a copy.3Indiana Judicial Branch. How to Request Public Records

Look Up the Case Before You Call the Clerk

Two pieces of information make everything faster: the full legal names both spouses used at the time of the divorce, and the cause number. The cause number is the file’s serial number. Give it to the clerk and they can pull the record right away instead of digging through indexes.

Find the cause number for free at mycase.in.gov, Indiana’s online case search.4Indiana Judicial Branch. Public Records Search by party name and the results show the county, case type, and cause number. Many recent filings also let you view or download documents directly from the portal at no cost.

If the case is old enough that it doesn’t appear on MyCase, the approximate year of the divorce and the county where it was filed will usually be enough for the clerk to locate it. If you don’t know which county handled the divorce, the Indiana Judicial Branch recommends contacting the Indiana State Library for help searching marriage and divorce records.3Indiana Judicial Branch. How to Request Public Records

Three Ways to Request the Copy

In Person

Walking into the clerk’s office is the fastest route. Bring the cause number or the party names and approximate date, and staff can usually locate the file and print a copy while you wait. County offices generally operate weekdays during standard business hours. In Marion County, for example, you can call ahead so the clerk has the record ready and notifies you when it can be picked up.5Indy.gov. Request Copies of Court Records

By Mail

If you no longer live near the county that finalized your divorce, send a written request to the clerk. Include the party names, cause number if you have it, your contact information, payment, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return.5Indy.gov. Request Copies of Court Records The mailing address is on the clerk’s page for each county. Mail requests generally take three to seven business days to process on the clerk’s end, plus postal time both directions.

Online

A growing number of Indiana counties accept requests through online portals, some of which take credit card payment and issue a tracking number. Delivery may be electronic or by mail. Availability varies, so check the specific county clerk’s website. Public records requests aimed at the state court system itself, rather than a county clerk, have to go through the Indiana Judicial Branch’s online form.3Indiana Judicial Branch. How to Request Public Records

What It Costs

Indiana law sets the base copy fee at $1 per page, whether the page is full or only partly filled.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 33-37-5-1 – Preparing Transcript or Copy of Record Certification, which adds the clerk’s raised seal to make the copy official, cannot exceed $5 per document under Indiana’s public records statute.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-8 – Fees and Copies The exact certification charge varies by county within that cap.

Certified or Plain?

For anything beyond your own reference, get the certified copy. Banks, other government agencies, immigration offices, and courts in other states will almost always require the version with the clerk’s seal. A non-certified copy is fine if you just want it for personal records or to share with an attorney who already has access to the file.

What Won’t Be On Your Copy

Even though divorce decrees are public, certain sensitive details are stripped before anyone sees the document. Under Indiana’s court access rules, Social Security numbers and complete financial account numbers, PINs, and passwords are redacted from publicly available copies.6Indiana Supreme Court. Order Creating Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records If that information was necessary to the court’s decision, it exists in a separate confidential filing. So don’t expect your ex-spouse’s Social Security number to appear on the copy you receive, even if it was in the original paperwork.

Older Divorces May Not Be At the Clerk’s Office

Indiana’s judicial retention rules require county clerks to maintain divorce and dissolution case files from September 1881 through 1990 in either paper form or on microfilm.7Indiana Rules of Court. Rule 7 – Judicial Retention Schedules The civil order books that contain the text of the actual decrees, covering 1790 through 1990, are designated for transfer to the Indiana Archives and Records Administration.

In practice, if your divorce was finalized before the 1990s, the record may not be sitting in a filing cabinet at the courthouse. It could be on microfilm, stored off-site, or housed at the state archives. Expect the clerk to need extra time to retrieve it. The exact year of the divorce helps, since digital indexes are often incomplete for older filings. If the clerk can’t locate it, the Indiana State Library’s genealogy resources may be able to point you to the right archive.

If You Need the Decree Recognized Abroad

To use your Indiana decree in another country, you’ll usually need an apostille or authentication from the Indiana Secretary of State. That step verifies the county clerk’s signature and seal for international acceptance under the Hague Convention.

The steps:8Indiana Secretary of State. Authentications

  • Get a certified copy from the county clerk first. The Secretary of State can only authenticate a certified document.
  • Download the Authentication Request Form from the Secretary of State’s website and list the country where the document will be used.
  • Pay $2 per document.
  • Submit in person by appointment in Indianapolis, paying by credit card, debit card, check, or money order, or mail the request to Indiana Secretary of State, Authentications, 302 W. Washington Street, Room E-018, Indianapolis, IN 46204, with a self-addressed stamped envelope or a pre-paid airbill for return.

Divorce decrees do not need to be notarized before authentication, which saves a step compared to many other document types.

If the Record Is Sealed

Occasionally a divorce decree or portions of the case file have been sealed by court order, and the clerk cannot release those portions to the public. Sealing a public court record in Indiana is difficult and requires a public hearing, notice, and a specific finding by the judge.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.5 – Sealing Certain Records by Court If you hit a sealed record and have a legitimate reason to see it, you can file a verified written request asking the court to grant access under Rule 9, showing extraordinary circumstances and no significant risk of harm to any party.10Indiana Supreme Court. Rule 9 – Obtaining Access to Court Records Excluded from Public Access Most people getting a routine copy of their own decree will never run into this.