Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Understanding Free Public Divorce Records Online

By Andrea Wilf

Divorce is very much a part of American society. The filing of their records is an official routine and legislations are in place to ensure that. They are governed by State laws and it's mandatory that they are made available as a public amenity by the authorities. Public Divorce Records can typically be requested free of charge from State repositories. Needless to say, they are subject to guidelines and procedures as the information derived through them are inherently personal and private in nature.

A main reason for people to obtain such documents is to provide an official certification of the dissolution of their past marriage or marriages as a pre-requisite to apply for a license to remarry. Other common reasons for public divorce records retrieval are replacement of copies that got lost or destroyed, official background checks and verification. Most of all, they are discreetly investigated by nosey neighbors, friends, relatives and colleagues or concerned romantic partners looking to advance the relationship.

If you know the particular county at which the Final Decree of the divorce was granted, the whole process of obtaining the associated information is much easier. You may have to visit the office physically especially if waiting time is an issue. Mail, telephone, fax and increasingly the online option over the internet are typically also offered. The standard information on divorce records comprises the names and ages of the couple, date and place of marriage and divorce, filing number, asset division, settlement, children and their custody and visitation arrangement, reason for divorce and other pertinent information. If there were multiple divorces, searches at State repositories will produce all of them as long as they were granted within the same state.

Divorce Public Records can generally also be requested from the appointed central State agency in person, mail, telephone, fax and online over the internet. The fees are usually nominal as they are charged to cover only the administrative and other overhead costs but not for the records per se. As is characteristic of government outfits, waiting time is involved ranging from same-day to several months depending on the mode of request, queue and the particular office involved.

The good news is that public records are abundantly found on the internet nowadays. Besides government facilities, they are available from many private websites too and come in primarily two versions; fee-based and FOC (free-of-charge). Private FOC resources usually have a catch and many of them just smack of virus and spyware outright. It's much better-advised to play it safe and stick with professional fee-based providers who are certified by a recognized third-party laboratory.

Divorce record search is within reach of just about anyone who so desires these days. It used to be exclusive to professional practitioners or government officials. Nowadays, more searches are actually conducted for private reasons than in official undertakings. Commercial record providers have definitely given the practice a big boost. Operating primarily online over the internet, they are convenient, low-cost, 24/7 and practically instant. Most of all, they can be 100% discreet.

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