Hawaii
Hawaii Marriage and Divorce Records: 2026 Rules for Getting a Copy
Hawaii changed how divorce records work this year. Effective February 1, 2026, the Department of Health no longer maintains records of divorce, which makes the Family Court that granted the divorce the place to get a copy.
Information last verified on 2026-08-04. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
The February 2026 Change to Hawaii Divorce Records
The Department of Health's vital records page carries a plain notice: effective February 1, 2026, the Hawaii Department of Health will no longer maintain records of DIVORCE.
That single sentence undoes the older two-track model. Until this year, Hawaii looked like most states: the court that granted the divorce held the decree, and the Department of Health separately held a divorce certificate you could order as a vital record. The certificate track is gone. What remains is the court record.
This matters most for people working from stale instructions. Older forms, older agency checklists, and most search results still describe a Department of Health divorce certificate. If you are told to send a request and a fee to the Department of Health for a divorce record, that instruction is now wrong, and the request will not produce a certificate.
How to Get a Hawaii Divorce Record Now
Hawaii divorces are heard in the Family Court of the circuit where the case was filed, and the Judiciary handles copy requests through each circuit's Legal Documents Branch (Hawaii State Judiciary, "Request Court Records"). Which office you contact depends on the island:
- First Circuit (Oahu), Family Court, at the Ronald T. Y. Moon Judiciary Complex in Kapolei, phone 808-954-8310. This is the office for a divorce
- First Circuit (Oahu), Circuit Court, at Kaahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, phone 808-539-4300. This office handles Circuit Court records, not divorce
- Second Circuit (Maui, Molokai, Lanai), Hoapili Hale in Wailuku, phone 808-244-2969
- Third Circuit (Hawaii Island), Hilo at 808-961-7400 or Kona at 808-322-8750
- Fifth Circuit (Kauai), phone 808-482-2330
Getting the Oahu offices the wrong way round is the most common misstep, because 808-539-4300 is widely reprinted as the number for Oahu court records generally. Hawaii divorces are Family Court cases, and on Oahu the Family Court sits in Kapolei, not in the Honolulu civil courthouse. Call 808-954-8310 for a divorce file.
Certified copy charges are set out in each circuit's fees and costs schedule rather than published as a single statewide number, so ask the branch you are contacting.
There is also a self-service route. Individual publicly available documents can be purchased through eCourt Kokua by selecting the document from the case dockets tab, at a flat rate of $3 for documents of 1 to 30 pages and 10 cents for each additional page beyond 30. Most courthouses also have public access terminals where documents can be viewed on screen at no charge. Confidential cases are not accessible on eCourt Kokua, which is the important limit: a sealed or otherwise confidential family case will not appear, and its absence from the system is not evidence that the case does not exist.
For an official certified copy to file with another agency, use the Legal Documents Branch rather than a self-printed eCourt Kokua document.
Hawaii Marriage Records and the Direct and Tangible Interest Test
Marriage certificates remain with the Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, and Hawaii gates them.
An applicant must establish a direct and tangible interest in the record. The Department lists eligible applicants including the registrant and the registrant's spouse, the registrant's parents, a descendant of the registrant, a person having a common ancestor with the registrant such as a sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin, legal guardians, estate representatives and court-appointed representatives, and anyone with a court order granting access. The page then states the limit directly: if you are not able to establish a direct and tangible interest in the record, you are ineligible.
Read the eligible list carefully before concluding you are shut out, because the common ancestor category is broader than the immediate family lists many states use. A cousin researching a family line qualifies on the face of that list, where the same person would be refused in a state that limits access to spouse, parent, and child.
Fees, current as of August 2026:
- $10.00 for the first certified copy
- $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record
- $2.50 general administration fee, covering up to five copies. The Department states that another $2.50 applies to each additional increment of up to five copies, so 6 through 10 copies is a $5.00 fee and 11 through 15 copies is $7.50
- $5.00 per letter of verification
The letter of verification is not a cheaper certificate. Under HRS section 338-14.3, the Department furnishes a verification in lieu of a certified copy, confirming that the vital event occurred and that the facts are as the applicant stated them. The statute caps the fee at half the first certified copy fee, which is where the $5.00 figure comes from. An agency that asked for a certified copy will not accept it.
Hawaii runs its own ordering portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, paid by debit or credit card. Mail applications go to the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801, with a copy of identification and payment by cashier's check, certified check, or money order. In-person service accepts cash, credit card, or check. Requests for apostille or authentication are handled separately.
Older Hawaii Records
Hawaii's earliest marriage records predate the modern registration system and sit with the Hawaii State Archives rather than the Department of Health, along with some early church-held registers that were never centralized. This article does not state specific archival year ranges because the archival holdings ranges circulating in secondary genealogy guides were not confirmed against a primary Hawaii State Archives source during research. Contact the State Archives directly for its current holdings and finding aids before relying on a date range you find elsewhere.
For divorce, note that any historical Department of Health divorce holdings are affected by the February 2026 change in custody, and the Judiciary is the right first call for a divorce of any era.
Related Hawaii Records and Laws
- Marriage and divorce records by state for how Hawaii's court-only divorce model compares to states that still issue a divorce certificate
- 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 limits of public index searching
- Hawaii death records, which use the same direct and tangible interest eligibility standard
- Hawaii divorce laws for residency, grounds, and process
- Hawaii public records laws for records held by state agencies rather than the courts
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about how Hawaii 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. The February 2026 change to divorce record custody is recent, and the Judiciary's procedures and fees are set by circuit. Confirm current requirements with the Hawaii Department of Health or the relevant Legal Documents Branch before relying on any detail here.
Last updated: 2026-08-04. The divorce custody change, eligibility language, and fees reflect the agency pages as published on that date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Hawaii Department of Health still issue divorce certificates?
No. Effective February 1, 2026, the Department states it no longer maintains records of divorce. Divorce copies now come from the Family Court that granted the divorce, through the Judiciary's Legal Documents Branch for that circuit.
How do I get a copy of a Hawaii divorce decree?
Contact the Legal Documents Branch for the circuit where the divorce was granted: Oahu's Family Court in Kapolei at 808-954-8310, Maui at 808-244-2969, Hawaii Island at 808-961-7400 in Hilo or 808-322-8750 in Kona, and Kauai at 808-482-2330. On Oahu, 808-539-4300 reaches the Circuit Court at Kaahumanu Hale, which does not hold divorce files.
What does eCourt Kokua cost?
Individual publicly available documents from a case docket cost a flat $3 for 1 to 30 pages, plus 10 cents per page over 30. Courthouse public access terminals let you view documents on screen at no charge.
Why can't I find a Hawaii divorce case on eCourt Kokua?
Confidential cases are not accessible through eCourt Kokua. A case missing from the system may be confidential rather than nonexistent, so contact the court's Legal Documents Branch rather than treating the absence as an answer.
Who can order a Hawaii marriage certificate?
Someone with a direct and tangible interest in the record. The Department lists the registrant, a spouse, parents, descendants, a person with a common ancestor such as a sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin, guardians, estate and court-appointed representatives, and anyone with a court order.
What does a Hawaii marriage certificate cost?
$10.00 for the first certified copy, $4.00 for each additional copy, and a $2.50 general administration fee for each increment of up to five copies, so 11 to 15 copies carries a $7.50 fee. A letter of verification, which HRS section 338-14.3 provides in lieu of a certified copy, is $5.00, as of August 2026.
Does Hawaii use a third-party vendor for vital records orders?
Hawaii runs its own online ordering portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov. Mail and in-person service through the Office of Health Status Monitoring are the other official channels.
I was told to send my divorce request to the Department of Health. Should I?
Not since February 1, 2026. That instruction reflects the old system. Send the request to the Judiciary's Legal Documents Branch for the circuit whose Family Court handled the divorce.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Hawaii State Department of Health, Vital Records, notice that the Department will no longer maintain records of divorce effective February 1, 2026(health.hawaii.gov).gov
- Hawaii State Department of Health, "Birth, Marriage and Civil Union Certificates"(health.hawaii.gov).gov
- Hawaii State Judiciary, "Request Court Records"(courts.state.hi.us).gov
- Hawaii State Judiciary, eCourt Kokua case information service(courts.state.hi.us).gov
- Haw. Rev. Stat. s. 338-14.3, Verification in lieu of a certified copy(capitol.hawaii.gov).gov