Florida Marriage and Divorce Records: How to Get a Copy (2026)

Florida is one of the more open states for marriage and divorce records. The state Bureau of Vital Statistics issues certified marriage and dissolution of marriage certificates back to June 6, 1927, and neither page states a relationship or photo ID requirement.

Information last verified on 2026-08-04. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

A Florida Divorce Creates Two Records, Not One

Before ordering anything, decide which document you actually need, because Florida keeps them in two different places.

The dissolution of marriage certificate is a vital record. It states the basic facts: who was divorced, when, and where. The Bureau of Vital Statistics holds these for dissolutions recorded by a clerk of court from June 6, 1927 to the present (Florida Department of Health, "Divorce or Annulment Certificates"). This is the document most agencies want when they simply need proof that a marriage ended, for a name change, a remarriage license, an immigration filing, or a benefits application.

The judgment, often called the divorce decree, is a court record. It contains the terms: property division, alimony, parenting plan, support. The state does not issue it at any price. As the Department of Health puts it, the actual judgment may be obtained from the clerk of court in the county where the dissolution was granted. If you need to enforce or modify anything, or a lawyer or lender has asked to see the terms, the county clerk is the only source.

The same split shows up on the marriage side in a lighter form. A county clerk of the circuit court issues the marriage license and records the completed certificate, and the state then holds a copy of the certificate from June 6, 1927 forward.

Florida Marriage Records: What the State Holds

Florida marriage certificates from June 6, 1927 to the present that have been recorded by a clerk of court are available through the Bureau of Vital Statistics (Florida Department of Health, "Marriage Certificates"). Anything earlier stays with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the license was issued, and so does a record the county never forwarded.

The application asks for the applicant's relationship to the person named on the record, but the marriage page does not restrict certified copies to a named class of eligible people the way Florida's birth and death certificate pages do. On the pages reviewed for this article, no eligibility class and no photo identification requirement appears for marriage or dissolution certificates. That absence is the practical reason Florida turns up so often in genealogy and journalism research: the state answers marriage and dissolution requests it would refuse for a birth record.

Fees and How to Order

Fees differ depending on whether you go direct or through the state's online partner, and the difference is not small.

Ordering direct from the Bureau, by mail or at the Jacksonville walk-in counter:

• $5 search fee, covering one calendar year of searching and one certified copy
• $4 for each additional certified copy of the same record
• $2 per additional calendar year searched when the exact year is unknown, capped at $50
• $10 rush fee, which the Bureau lists as required for records prior to 1970 for same day walk in service, when available
• $1 shipping and handling

Ordering online through VitalChek, which the Department of Health names as its online ordering channel:

• $15 state fee for the first certificate, which the Bureau states includes the $5 search fee and a $10 rush fee
• $7 VitalChek processing fee
• $4 per additional copy, plus the same $2 per calendar year search charge

Mail requests go to the Florida Department of Health, Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042. The walk-in counter is at 1217 N Pearl St., Jacksonville. Fees are current as of August 2026; confirm before sending payment.

For the judgment itself, contact the clerk of the circuit court in the county of the dissolution directly. County copy and certification charges are set locally and vary, so ask that clerk for the current schedule rather than assuming a statewide figure.

Are Florida Divorce Files Public?

Two different access questions sit on top of each other in Florida, and they have different answers.

The certificate layer is effectively open. The state's marriage and dissolution pages impose no relationship test, so the record is available to a requester who can identify it and pay the fee.

The court file layer runs on judicial records law. Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420, now titled Public Access to and Protection of Judicial Branch Records, states the general principle in its scope and purpose subdivision: the public has access to all records of the judicial branch of government, except as provided below. and Fla. Stat. s. 119.0714 addresses court files, court records, and official records within the state's public records chapter. A Florida dissolution file is therefore presumptively open, and closing one takes an actual motion, a hearing, and a written order under the rule's procedure rather than a request to the clerk.

There is no Florida statute that automatically seals dissolution files, and claims circulating online that a specific dissolution statute functions as a sealing provision do not hold up against the rule text. Individual documents inside a file can still be confidential by operation of law, financial account numbers and certain identifying information being the routine examples, and a party who wants a broader closure has to ask the court for it.

Older Florida Records

For a marriage or divorce before June 6, 1927, skip the state entirely and start with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the event happened. County custody predates state registration, and county clerks in Florida have generally kept those books.

Modern county case searches are also useful for locating a dissolution case number before ordering the judgment, though what is viewable online varies clerk to clerk. Family case documents in particular are commonly restricted to in-person or in-office viewing even where the docket is visible remotely.

Related Florida Records and Laws

• Marriage and divorce records by state for how Florida's June 1927 start date and open access compare to the rest of the country
• How to get a copy of your marriage certificate for the general ordering walkthrough
• How to find out if someone is married or divorced for the search side, including what public indexes can and cannot tell you
• Florida death records, which run on a much stricter eligibility rule than marriage records do
• Florida divorce laws for the substantive law of ending a marriage, as opposed to obtaining the record afterward
• Florida public records laws for the chapter 119 framework behind the court file layer
• Florida common law marriage, which matters because a relationship with no license produced no certificate to order

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about how Florida marriage and divorce records are held and released as of the verification date above. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and processing times change, and county clerk practices vary. Confirm current requirements with the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or the relevant clerk of the circuit court before relying on any figure here.

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Last updated: 2026-08-04. Fees and record year ranges reflect the state agency pages as published on that date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Florida divorce records public?

Largely yes. The Bureau of Vital Statistics does not state a relationship or identification requirement for dissolution of marriage certificates, and the underlying court file is presumptively open under Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.420. Closing a file requires a motion and a court order.

How much does a Florida marriage certificate cost?

Ordering direct from the Bureau of Vital Statistics costs $5, which includes a one year search and one certified copy, plus $4 for each additional copy. Ordering online through VitalChek costs $15, which the Bureau says includes the $5 search fee and a $10 rush fee, plus a $7 VitalChek processing fee. Figures are current as of August 2026.

How far back do Florida marriage and divorce records go at the state level?

June 6, 1927 for both, for records that a clerk of court recorded. Anything earlier is held by the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the event took place.

Does Florida issue a copy of the divorce decree itself?

No. The state issues only the dissolution of marriage certificate, which states the basic facts. The judgment with the actual terms comes from the clerk of court in the county where the dissolution was granted.

Do I need to prove a relationship to order a Florida marriage record?

No eligibility class or identification requirement appears on the Department of Health marriage or dissolution pages, unlike the same agency's birth and death certificate pages. The application does ask you to state your relationship to the person named on the record.

Can a Florida divorce file be sealed?

Only by court order. A party files a motion to determine confidentiality of court records, and the court rules under the standards in Rule 2.420. There is no dissolution-specific statute that seals these files automatically.

How long does a mail request to the Bureau of Vital Statistics take?

Processing times change with volume, and the Bureau publishes current estimates on its site. Note that the $10 rush fee is not a general expedite option: the Bureau lists it as required for records prior to 1970 for same day walk in service, when available. The separate $2 per calendar year search charge applies whenever the exact year is unknown, in any era.