Massachusetts Divorce Records.
Certificate of Divorce Absolute

A collage representing the multifaceted aspects of divorce, focusing specifically on elements directly related to divorce papers and proceedings.

Judgment of Divorce. Separation Agreements. 
Scanned. Digitized. Emailed as PDFs.


Bristol County Probate Court, Middlesex Probate, Norfolk Probate Court, and Suffolk County Probate

Documents available for ordering include Certificate of Divorce Absolute, Certificate of Divorce NISI with Separation Agreement, photocopies of the judgment of divorce and or separation agreements, and court-authenticated, exemplified divorce packets for use in foreign countries**.
If you have a special request, such as obtaining copies of a petition of divorce from an ongoing divorce or copies of current motions, you can also get them by making a special request.
For an additional fee of $25, certified and authenticated copies can also have a Massachusetts state apostille, certified by the Secretary of State's Office, for use outside the United States.
Please Note: Divorce records in Middlesex County filed before 1990 and Bristol County filed before 2000 are archived and located in off-site storage.

Processing time can take 2 - 3 weeks from the date of your order.

Expedited service is NOT available for archived records.
  • If ordering outside the United States, please understand none of our fees include express international postage, such as DHL.
  • Please email us after placing your international order and we can email you a quote for DHL or FedEx shipping service.

YOUR ORDERING OPTIONS: The type of document you select depends on your personal needs for the record.

Suppose you need the copy for legal purposes, such as a passport, or social security, obtaining a REAL ID, applying for refinance, or getting remarried.

In that case, you'll need options "C" or "D."

Conversely, options "A" or "B" is the right choice if the record is for informational purposes only.

OPTION A:

  • Our fee for photocopying your divorce judgment (sent by 1st class mail or emailed as a PDF) is $35.
  • This document is a non-certified, plain photocopy. It has the signature of the judge in the divorce proceeding.
  • It contains the month, day, and year your divorce was granted.
  • Option "A" does not include your separation agreement.
  • Because it is a photocopy, you cannot use this in most States for legal purposes, including applying for social security, obtaining a REAL ID, or getting remarried.
  • This document can be scanned, digitized as a PDF, and emailed.
  • If you prefer an email scan, please tell us in the notes section of the order form. Otherwise, it will ship by first-class mail.

OPTION B:

  • Our fee to photocopy your divorce judgment and any separation agreement is $65.
  • These copies are NOT attested or certified.
  • This is the same as "Option A" above but includes the separation agreement's details (if any), such as alimony, insurance, custody, visitation, property ownership, and child support.
  • This document can be scanned and digitized into a PDF and emailed. NOTE: Most divorce papers before the early 1980s do NOT have formal separation agreements.
  • If you want an emailed scan, please tell us in the notes section of the order form. Otherwise, it will ship by first-class mail.

OPTION C:

  • Most Popular
  • Our fee to get a certified copy of your divorce decree, the "Certificate of Divorce Absolute," is $75.
  • This document is custom-made, hand-typed, and certified by the court and contains the court's official, raised embossed seal.
  • You can use this for most legal or official purposes, including applying for social security, getting remarried, obtaining a REAL ID, applying for a passport application, or applying for citizenship.
  • This document does not have the proceeding judge's signature. (See "Option D" below for that inclusion.) It can be scanned and emailed, but many agencies, such as Social Security, won't accept scanned copies.
  • All our procured Certificates of Divorce Absolute are sent by Priority Mail and have the capability to track delivery.
  • Once your order is processed, you will receive a verification of shipment from USPS, along with that tracking number.
  • You can preview an example here of a redacted Massachusetts Certificate of Divorce Absolute.

OPTION D:

  • Our fee to get your certified copy of the divorce judgment, the "Certificate of Divorce NISI," and an attested photocopy of the divorce separation agreement is $100.
  • This document contains the judgment and information about the divorce, including alimony, insurance, custody, visitation, property ownership, and child support.
  • The document is certified. It is valid for child custody issues, alimony enforcement, pension agreements, disbursements, and refinancing, unlike "Option B" which is not certified.
  • It's worth noting that you don't need a Certified NISI and agreement when applying for social security, remarriage, obtaining a REAL ID, adopting children, or applying for citizenship.
  • If you have anyquestions about the specific type of record needed, please email us before ordering and check the requirements with the organization requesting the document.
  • This document cannot be scanned and emailed. All Certificates of Divorce NISI are sent by Priority Mail, and once your order is processed, you will receive a verification of shipment from USPS, along with a tracking number.

OPTION E:

  • Authenticated or sometimes referred to as "Exemplified" Divorce Packets are used primarily outside the country for refiling divorce in another state or, in some cases, for probate court matters or land sales in other states.
  • There is a minimum fee of $150 for authenticated packets.
  • Additional requirements do apply for the countries of Brazil, India, and Italy.
  • Based on the number of pages, there may be additional fees if you need the documents translated.
  • We don't provide translation services but supply a second copy of plain photocopies of the documents so a professional translator can process your records.
  • IMPORTANT: Not all countries require these "authenticated packets," so double-check with us or your country's requesting agency before placing an order!
  • Also, please indicate in the notes section of the order if you need the document apostatized by the State of Massachusetts and for which country.
  • There is an additional fee of $50 for this custom service, for which we will send a secure link to make that payment.
  • This option does NOT include a Certificate of Divorce Absolute. You'll also have to order "Option C" if you need both.

DIVORCE DATE AND PLACE

Date of filing not known? Enter five years to search, i.e., 1991 - 1995.
Please select the city or town where the couple last lived while married. If the town or city is included in the list, completing a divorce search through this service will be possible. However, if by the rare chance, the couple was divorced in one of the following county courts, listed next, but did live elsewhere, pick "Unknown" at the end of the city list and explain the details in the "Notes Section" listed below.
We provide document service to Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk Counties courts. If you need clarification on county borders, click here to view a Massachusetts County Map.

NAMES OF THE SUBJECTS


SELECT BELOW HOW YOU WANT THE DOCUMENT DELIVERED

  • Select via First Class Mail or Expedited Priority Mail and then the Type of Record requested by clicking on the drop-down arrow menu next to each mail class. Choose only first-class or expedited delivery - do not click on both.
  • If you click on both to see fees and accidentally click on the wrong choice, revert to the default setting (as shown) for the one you did not choose of either First Class Mail or Expedited Priority Mail before submitting the order. The order form will fail if you leave both options picked.
 
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  • Just a refresher for document types. The judgment is a one-page document that allows for divorce. The date and names and a judge's signature are all the details. The divorce agreement is the official terms, including property ownership, custody, alimony, and retirement funds. (Divorce agreements can be as small as one page or as large as hundreds of pages. The average is 10 - 15.) The court-embossed "Certificate of Divorce Absolute" is needed in most states for remarriage, citizenship applications, social security filings, taxes, and passports. In most cases, the agreement is usually not required. However, if there are complex tax issues, home refinancing, or out-of-state child support enforcement, a certified Judgment of "NISI" and the agreement may be necessary. For more detailed information, please read the list of available ordering options above to ensure you order the correct record type.
  • Records filed in 1991 or earlier for Bristol County and 1989 or earlier for Middlesex County are stored off-site and cannot be fast-tracked. Processing time for these archived records can be up to 2 - 3 weeks.
  • Authenticated Divorce Packets are a custom process, depending on your needs, country requirements and overall size of the file. The price of $150 is a minimum charge. Additional copy requirements do apply for Brazil, India and Italy and if you need to have documents translated. We will always notify you by email if additional fees will apply before processing your order.
 

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