Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Indiana Free Public Divorce Records

By Ben Kingsley


Records of birth, death, marriage and divorce are called Vital Records in United States. These records are important as they provide researchers with valuable information such as genealogy of a certain family as well as supporting documents in certain instances. These records are normally available from the Department of Health of each State; however, there are some instances when the records are also available from the county where the person resides. One example would be obtaining divorce records in Indiana.

The divorce records are only available from the County Clerk's office where the divorce was granted. Each county has different divorce records with some dating back as far back as 1795 wherein record keeping starts from when a county was established. Each county has their set of guidelines to ensure that a request is accommodated. Requests can be made through email, fax, standard mail and in-person.

Access to divorce records is open only to those individuals eligible under the State Laws. As divorce records are confidential by nature, persons who have close affinity to the parties named in the divorce, their siblings, children and appointed persons are the only ones that can access the records.

Divorce records for example in Marion County, Indiana are available from the Marion County Clerk office and can be requested through mail, email and in-person. The researcher will have to submit the request form that is available for download from the county's website. Complete the application form and together with the payment fee, send these to the Records Division. Each record page costs about $1 and certification is $1. For those who are unsure of how long the reports would be can, they may send in a minimum of $5 in either money order or check. Any remaining amount will be refunded by the Office and for those who incur more costs then the requesting party will be contacted to add additional funds. Processing time varies depending on the volume of requests although normally it would take ten business days. Researchers must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with their request form. For walk-ins, the Record Office is available weekdays and payments should be made in cash. Researchers must present proof of their identity to the County Clerk by showing current identification such as passport or driver's license.

For those who require divorce decree in Allen County, they can request for copies of record from the Allen County Courthouse Records Management Division. To request for a copy, submit the request either through mail, fax, E-mail or in person to the Records Division. For those whose purpose is to use the documents for employment, court proceedings and social security purposes; remember to indicate that the copies need to be certified. Payment is the same as that in Marion County.

Researchers who want basic divorce records can also get the records from online record searches. Some websites do offer free public divorce records or require a minimal fee for full divorce records. This is the simplest and most efficient way one can obtain the records without having to go personally to the County clerk. Processing time is also shorter than that of County clerk's processing period and as such, is an ideal solution for those that require the record quickly.




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