divorce decree search

divorce decree search

£89 (includes the £40 court fee for a ten-year search period)

If you suspect that, because you have lost contact with your spouse, he or she may have divorced you, or if you know that a divorce decree was granted (but you have lost your Decree Absolute Certificate and need a copy), then this service is for you. If your search exceeds ten years, a further court fee of £40 is payable.

We will need some information to go on, such as your and your spouse's full names at the time of the marriage; the place and the date of the marriage; and the date when you last had contact with your spouse.

Based on your information, we complete the court search form and take it to the Principal Registry where the central index of all decrees absolute is held. Our clerk will attend the search personally and wait for the result so that we are able to scan or fax the letter from the court to you later on the same day.

If the result is negative, the court will issue a letter to this effect. Such a letter is often used as evidence in the affidavit accompanying an application to dispense with service on the respondent in cases where the respondent cannot be found and where the parties have not been in contact with each other for more than two years.

If the result is positive, the court will give the name and address of the court where the decree was given, as well as the case reference number. At the same time the Principal Registry will send a letter to the county court concerned and ask for that court to send a copy of the Decree Absolute certificate to the applicant. Depending on the court concerned, this usually takes 10-14 days. If the decree absolute was obtained in the Principal Registry itself, then often they are able to issue the copy certificate on the spot.