Saturday, January 31, 2009

Locate Free Divorce Records

By Ben Dave

There must be occasions when you wonder about people's marital history and wished there was a way you could know instantly. Well, there is and it's called Public Divorce Records Online. They come in two versions: free and fee-based. Both could work but the question is which one suits your needs better? Time and money, that's basically what's at play between Free Online Divorce Records and paid ones. With a little research, understanding divorce records becomes easy.

Online Divorce records are regarded as one of the principal vital records. Together with Marriage, Birth and Death Records, Divorce records are at the core of Public Records departments across the country. Most states have had them centralized since the mid 60's. Prior to that, they were generated and maintained at the respective district offices of the county where the divorce was granted. County Divorce Records are known to date back hundred over years.

On the back of the Freedom of Information Act of 1966, divorce records became public domain, as with all public record categories. What that means is since then, except for records sealed by court orders and those which qualify as private divorce records, public records can be obtained at government departments tasked with the service. The various ways to request them are in-person, telephone, fax, mail and online internet. It must be noted that the use and application of divorce records in certain states may be restrictive although their retrieval process is liberal.

With the advent of the computer age and internet, websites are now a standard feature by government agencies tasked with this function. They make up the largest source of Public Divorce Records Search. These records are basically scratch and firsthand and are thus accurate and up-to-date but tend to be raw and scattered. State Divorce Records are not linked between states. Hence, assembling the complete divorce history state by state can be tall order especially if the subject has resided in multiple states.

Paid Divorce Records is a no-brainer option if you can come to terms with paying even for public records. Find the right provider and it's 'mission accomplished' within minutes in professional fashion every time. Without doubt, these record providers tap from public sources but they also have access to proprietary databases and private network. It's a good idea to make use of review outfits or other info-sharing sites to point you to the more tested and trusted ones.

Ultimately, whether you go with free or paid Online Divorce Records will depend on whether you're up to the task to DIY the free records and the purpose of the search. If there's no need for professional standards and you have the bandwidth and spirit to go it yourself, then why waste hard-earned money? But then again, if leisure is preferred over the savings and your pocket is deep, why not? The important thing is to go in with your eyes open. - 15437

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