Search Queens County Divorce Records for Free

Find free Queens County divorce records on anyone without tedious searching. Divorce records can help you learn more about someone in your life or just be used to satisfy a curiosity. Sometimes, individuals must access their own divorce documents for business or legal reasons.

Whatever the basis for your search, the enactment of New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) makes varying levels of divorce information (depending on the type and your relation to the person) available. This streamlined resource will show you how you can access divorce records in Queens County, New York, and — if you qualify — how to request physical copies of these documents.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To View Queens County Divorce Records for Free

If you want to access divorce records in Queens County, you can start by conducting an online case search with the Clerk’s Office.¹ This tool is available for cases from 1992 to the present. Cases prior to 1992 will have to be searched in person at the Queens County Clerk’s Office or with the New York State Archives (more information will be provided on this later).²

When using this online tool, you have a couple of options. You can search by index number and year or by a specific law firm. However, you will most likely have to conduct a party name search.

To use this tool, enter the full name of either party to the divorce proceeding. You can also include a filing date range to assist you with narrowing down the number of matching results. This may be especially helpful if you are searching for a common name.

Once you perform a search, you will be able to view the index number, party names, and file date. The Clerk’s Office is a repository for several different types of cases, so you will have to click on the index number to view the record and confirm that it is the divorce record you were searching for.

You can then use the information you find in the online case search to further your research with the Queens County Clerk’s Office. In addition to using this online tool, you can also request a search of divorce records by mail or in person with the Records Search Department of the Queens County Clerk’s Office.³ They are located at the address below:

Queens County Clerk’s Office
88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Rm. 106
Jamaica, New York 11435

Typically, you will have to provide the full names and the date the parties were divorced. In addition, depending on the information you want to access, you will have to provide your relationship to the parties. However, the Queens County Clerk’s Office may have its own unique criteria they request for searching divorce records.

If you make a request by mail, make sure to provide a stamped self-addressed envelope. If you want to make a request for a certified certificate of divorce, the cost is $10.00. This will cover a two-year search for the divorce record.

If you need to expand the search to additional years, it will cost $5.00 for each additional two years you want to search. The fee should be paid to the Queens County Clerk and can be done with a money order or certified check.

For additional information on requesting divorce information, you can contact the Queens County Clerk’s Office by phone at 718-298-0626 or by email at [email protected].⁴ Their office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

In some counties, you may be able to access divorce records at the city level as well. Queens County is one of five counties that comprise the city of New York. Divorce records can only be found at the county level and are maintained by the Clerk’s Office where the case was filed.

Note: Some states recognize common law marriages in which parties are considered legally married even though they did not go through the formal marital process. New York does not recognize these types of relationships. Thus, you cannot search for common law divorce records.

How To Search the New York State Department of Health for Divorce Records Throughout the State

There are certain situations in which you find out that a divorce did not occur in Queens County as you thought. However, you can confirm that the divorce occurred in New York. In these types of situations, you may want the ability to search broadly throughout the entire state of New York.

The New York State Department of Health is the repository for decrees and related records.⁵ Their Vital Records Department maintains all certificates of divorce in New York from 1963 to the present.

You can submit a request for a divorce certificate to the address below:⁶

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, New York 12220

You will need to provide the full name of both parties to the marriage, the date the divorce was issued, and the county where it occurred. You will also need to provide the purpose for the request and your relationship to the individuals subject to the divorce record.

A certified copy costs $30.00. Credit card and bank payments can be made online or by phone. You can also mail a money order or personal or certified check to the NYS Department of Health.

Lastly, there is an online option to request divorce records through VitalChek, an approved third-party vendor with the New York State Department of Health. Additional fees apply when making a request through this online option.

If there is specific information you need to complete your request you can look to find this information by searching for divorce records with the specific county where it was issued. For additional information, you can contact the New York State Department of Health’s Vital Records Department at 855-322-1022.

Note: The New York State Department of Health only can provide a certificate of divorce. For decrees, you will have to contact the county clerk where the case was filed.

In some counties, you may be able to access a divorce index, although there does not appear to be one readily available in Queens County online. That being said, most county clerk’s offices will have an index of divorces in person that you can view. This includes divorce records dating all the way back to July 1, 1847.

For divorce records before July 1, 1847, you can search with the New York State Archives. You can search for records online or contact them by email at [email protected] or by phone at 518-474-6926.⁷ You can also go in person to the following location:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
222 Madison Ave.
Albany, New York 12230

Who Is Able To View & Acquire Divorce Records in Queens County?

As a point of clarification, it’s important to understand that there is a difference between divorce records and the decree. A divorce record provides limited information and only tells you whether or not a marriage was terminated. A decree has specific details about the dissolution of marriage and is even less accessible than the divorce record.

While some states (and their counties) contain broad access to public divorce records, Queens County in New York is not one of them. While citizens may be able to find out if a person received a dissolution of marriage, they will not have access to the details of the file, such as the actual divorce papers or decree. It does not matter whether you are requesting a certified or non-certified record; this information is restricted in Queens County.

While decrees and similar divorce documents are strictly limited, there are certain people who are able to access this information. The following individuals and situations allow for the access of certificates of divorce and other related records in Queens County:

• A party to the divorce
• An attorney on record for the divorce case
• Authority granted by either of these parties with an affidavit or notarized letter
• Authorization provided by a court order

Examples of when an individual may be authorized by court order is when the information may be needed for legal or business reasons. An executor of an estate may need divorce records to ensure proper distributions of the decedent’s possessions.

New York’s Freedom of Information Law provides access to many government records but only allows limited information for divorce records.⁸ Since these types of records are restricted, including the divorce decree that finalizes everything, individuals wanting access to this information will have to provide proof of their identity or authority.

There is an exception for older divorce records. Divorce records in Queens County (and throughout New York) are sealed for 100 years.

After that time period has elapsed, citizens are free to view the complete divorce records. Just like with newer divorce records, those can be viewed with the Queens County Clerk’s Office.

There may be third-party providers that can help you in searching for divorce records in Queens County. They can be particularly useful if you do not have detailed information or the record is very old.

These third-party providers may be able to access divorce records not provided by Queens County through various online and government databases. Be aware the use of third-party providers, if not endorsed by a government agency, can not be used for official business or legal reasons.

Accessing divorce records can be a complex process if you attempt to search without the proper resources. You should now have a firm understanding of how and when you can access Queens County divorce records. Use the tools and information outlined in this article to guide you in your search for divorce records throughout Queens County, New York.