Dissolution of Marriage Records
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Division of Vital Records does not issue certified copies of dissolution of marriage records. Certified copies are available from the circuit court clerk in the county where the dissolution of marriage was granted. To learn more, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on List of Circuit Court Clerks.
The Division of Vital Records can verify the facts of a dissolution of marriage that has taken place from 1962 through the current index date available. The facts of a dissolution of marriage include: names, dates of birth, date of event and city/county of event.
Verifications cost $5 and can be requested by mail, by fax or in person.
How to Obtain a Dissolution of Marriage Verification
To obtain a dissolution of marriage verification, you must submit the following:
- A completed Application for Verification of Dissolution of Marriage/Civil Union Record Files (see FORMS in the right-hand column).
- A valid government issued photo identification (ID) that must be readable and is not expired/out of date (if an ID is not provided, unreadable, or expired, the request will be returned unprocessed)
- To learn more about valid IDs, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on IDs
- To learn more about the required costs/fees, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on Costs/Fees
To Order by Mail
You can mail the completed application for verification of dissolution of marriage/civil union record files (see FORMS in the right-hand column), PDF format, or send a letter providing the names of both parties, their dates of birth and the date and place of the dissolution of marriage, if known, and a check or money order (do not send cash) for the $5 fee made payable to the "Illinois Department of Public Health" to:
Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Vital Records
925 E. Ridgely Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702-2737
Regular mail requests, on average, are processed in 4 to 6 weeks. (Please note: this does not include delivery time to and from the office.)
To Order by Fax
Orders can be faxed to 217-523-2648. You will need to include the application for verification of dissolution of marriage/civil union record files (see FORMS in the right-hand column), PDF format, or provide the names of both parties and the date and place of the dissolution of marriage on the transmittal/cover sheet. You also need to include the following information:
- Your credit card number and expiration date (to pay the $5 verification fee, a $15.00 credit card handling charge, and the $22.00 UPS charge). A $3 fee will be applied for each additional person in a group order
- A daytime phone number, including area code, should it be necessary to contact you about the request
- Your return address
- Your written signature
- A valid government issued photo identification ID (if and ID is not provided, unreadable, or expired, the request will not be processed)
These orders may take seven business days to process. Incomplete or illegible applications will not be processed. An adult signature is necessary to accept the UPS delivery. We can send packages by UPS to your place of work. UPS deliveries cannot be made to post office boxes.
To Order in Person
In-person orders can be dropped off for mail out within three business days at the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records office, 925 East Ridgely Ave., Springfield, on Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding holidays. PLEASE NOTE: the person requesting the verification will be asked to show a valid photo identification card.