View Free Miami-Dade County Divorce Records (Obtain Decrees)

Look up free Miami-Dade County divorce records to find details of marriage dissolutions that were finalized here.

These records can provide interested individuals with a vast array of information — such as the time and place of the divorce, circumstances of the separation, primary details of the divorcees, and insight into matters of child custody, child support, and division of assets.

This resource gives citizens the tools and steps to conduct a free divorce records search in Miami-Dade County, Florida, using various official sources and agencies.

How To Find Miami-Dade County Divorce Records for Free

In Miami-Dade County, Florida, divorce records can be searched and obtained through the County Clerk of the Court & Comptroller.

The Clerk’s Department maintains a complete record of case files as well as final decrees of all cases heard in the county’s courts, including divorce records. The department allows citizens to search through their online database using two different options: the standard search, which is free, and the advanced search that comes at a nominal fee.

Using the standard option offered by the Clerk’s Department, residents can look up divorce record cases by party names (name of the divorcees), local case number, state case number, or hearing dates.¹ When searching by name, residents will have to provide the full name of either one of the divorcees. Furthermore, it is important that the searcher selects “Dissolution of Marriage” in the “Case Type” section for the most accurate results.

In addition to that, searchers can further filter their search by adding a time frame in which they think the divorce happened. Local case numbers (assigned by the local court), state case numbers, as well as hearing dates can be used to search divorce records using this free online tool.

However, the standard search option does not provide in-depth information about the divorce case. Through the standard option, researchers will only obtain details such as the names of both parties, case filing date, case status, etc.

To get more detailed divorce records, researchers must use the Advanced Search option. This search option, unlike the Standard Search, has a small fee. Furthermore, citizens must first register themselves with the system to use this advanced search tool.

Interested individuals can register themselves with the Clerk’s Department of Miami-Dade and use the Advanced Search Service by simply using their email addresses. The provided email address must be active because the system will send notifications on it. Once they are registered, residents must buy units to search using the Advanced Option.

Each advanced search will use one unit, which costs $0.50, so technically, each advanced search costs $0.50.

Search units can be bought through credit or debit cards and are credited to the registered account of the citizen. Residents can conduct as many searches as they want, and one unit will be deducted per search.

The online database is updated by the Clerk’s Department almost regularly so that citizens have access to the most recent records.

Other than the aforementioned online options, interested individuals can also search and obtain divorce records by directly contacting the Clerk of the County Department.² The office of the Clerk of Miami-Dade is located at:

Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court
73 West Flagler St.
Miami, Florida 33130

Phone Number – (305)275-1155

The office can be visited during regular business hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday (it is important to note that the office is closed on weekends and other public holidays). Information can also be gained by calling the Clerk’s Department at the above-mentioned phone number.

Researchers can also choose to order certified copies of the divorce records through mail, phone calls, or in-person visits.^{3, 4} The department charges a fee of $1 per page of the records and a $2 fee for certification per file.

While searching divorce records, it is important to note that the Clerk’s Department may restrict access to certain case details of a sensitive nature. This is done to ensure the safety and privacy of the individuals involved in the divorce case. Sensitive information can include financial details of the divorcees, exact addresses, social security numbers, and details of minors (in case the divorcees are parents).

How To Look Up Divorce Records for the Entire State of Florida via the State Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics

While searching for divorce records at the county level in Miami-Dade, residents could face instances where the records are available in a different county or are in the custody of a state-level agency. This is why researchers must know which state-level department can help them in such a case.

Records of marriage dissolutions at the state level are kept and managed by the Florida Department of Health – Bureau of Vital Statistics.⁵

Originally, the Clerks of the Court of each county keep a record of the case files as well as the decrees of all cases heard in their respective counties, including divorce cases. However, a copy of these records is also forwarded to the State Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Records of divorces that took place as early as 6th June 1927 can be obtained from the department by filing a formal request. The request can be filed by filling out an Application for Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate and submitting it to the department by hand or through mail at:⁶

Florida Department of Health – Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 North Pearl St.
P.O. Box Number 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32231-0042

Phone: 904-359-6900 Extension: 9000
Email: [email protected]

It usually takes around 3 to 5 days for the department to process a request. A fee of $5 is charged for the first copy of records, whereas additional copies cost $4. A resident can also request a rush order in which the records are provided within 24 hours; however, it costs $10.

An online order for public divorce records can also be placed through VitalChek. Residents can also call +1-877-550-7330 (for people residing outside the United States: +1-615-372-6800) to order divorce records from the company.

Interested parties can also look up older divorce records in Miami-Dade County for ancestral information or genealogy research purposes.⁷

The divorce index is maintained in a records library which can be accessed online.

Who Can Access Divorce Records in Miami-Dade County Florida?

Anyone can view divorce records (including common law) in Miami-Dade, Florida, as they are considered public court records.

This is ensured by Chapter 119 of the Florida State Legislature, which establishes the right of the public to view court records.⁹

However, divorce papers can include two kinds of documents. One is divorce certificates, which are single-sheet documents available to the public. The other is divorce decrees, the complete court orders in regards to a marriage dissolution and they are not entirely available to the general masses.

Third-party sources (which use government resources to look up records) can also help in searching for divorce records. However, unless a state or county agency endorses them, the records obtained from these sources should not be used for official purposes.

This resource has complete instructions on how to do a free Miami-Dade County divorce records search using several lookup tools.