To obtain UK divorce records, you apply to the court system in the jurisdiction where the divorce was granted: the Bury St Edmunds Divorce Unit for England and Wales, the National Records of Scotland for Scottish divorces, or the Matrimonial Office for Northern Ireland. There is no single national database. The document you receive is called a Final Order if the divorce was filed on or after 6 April 2022, and a Decree Absolute if it was filed before that date. Both have the same legal effect.
Decree Absolute or Final Order
The Decree Absolute was the official proof that a marriage had legally ended in England and Wales. Under the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, which took effect on 6 April 2022, that document was renamed the Final Order.1Legislation.gov.uk. Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 The provisional ruling that used to be called a Decree Nisi is now a Conditional Order. If your divorce predates April 2022, your document still reads “Decree Absolute” and remains valid for every purpose, including remarriage, financial settlements, and official filings.
Where to Apply
Which authority handles your request depends on where the divorce was granted, not where you live now.
England and Wales
If you don’t know which court dealt with the divorce, the Central Index of Decrees Absolute covers all courts in England and Wales. Searches of this index are handled by the Bury St Edmunds Divorce Centre.2GOV.UK. How Do I Apply to Search for a Decree Absolute or Final Order If you already know the court and have the case number, you can request a copy directly from that court without going through the Central Index.
Scotland
Scotland runs its own legal system, and divorce records sit with the National Records of Scotland.3National Records of Scotland. Divorce and Separation Records The statutory register of divorces is searchable online through the ScotlandsPeople portal for records from 1 May 1984 onward.4ScotlandsPeople. Divorces Older Scottish records require you to contact the National Records of Scotland directly. ScotlandsPeople uses a credit-based system for images and extracts rather than the flat fees used in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland divorce records are held by the courts, not by the General Register Office. To get a copy of a Decree Absolute from a Northern Ireland divorce, apply to the Matrimonial Office.5Department of Justice Northern Ireland. Decree Absolute Search Application If you don’t have the case reference, the Matrimonial Office can search to establish whether a Decree Absolute was granted.
Crown Dependencies
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the UK and keep their own court records. On the Isle of Man, the Civil Registry does not hold divorce records; the Isle of Man Courts of Justice do. Jersey and Guernsey each handle divorce records through their own Royal Court systems.
What to Gather Before You Apply
The more detail you provide, the faster and cheaper the search. At a minimum you need the full legal names of both parties at the time of the divorce. Maiden names and any aliases used at the time of the marriage help distinguish similar entries. Include the approximate year or date range, which matters particularly in England and Wales because searches are run in ten-year blocks.
Hunt through old court correspondence for a case reference number. Having that number drops the England and Wales fee from £65 to £11 and avoids an index search entirely. The name of the court that handled the proceedings is also worth tracking down, because it unlocks a cheaper tier than the Central Index.
Applying in England and Wales
The formal application uses Form D440, available as a downloadable PDF on GOV.UK or through the online portal.6GOV.UK. Request a Search for a Divorce Decree Absolute – Form D440 Spelling matters. An incorrect spelling can produce a failed search even when the record exists.
Fees
England and Wales operate a three-tier fee structure based on how much you already know:
- Central Index search where the court is unknown: £65 for each ten-year period searched.
- Court-specific search where the court is known but you have no case number: £45 for each ten-year period searched.
- Direct copy where you have the case number: £11.2GOV.UK. How Do I Apply to Search for a Decree Absolute or Final Order
The gap between the first two tiers catches many people out. Identifying the court, even without the case number, saves £20 per ten-year block. Old marriage certificates, solicitors’ letters, and informal family notes sometimes carry that detail.
Where to Send It
Postal applications go to the Bury St Edmunds Divorce Unit, not to the Central Family Court in London. The address is Bury St Edmunds Divorce Unit, 2nd Floor, Triton House, St Andrews Street North, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1TR. Postal payment is by cheque or postal order. The online system takes major credit and debit cards, which is usually easier for applicants outside the UK.
How Long It Takes
Expect a response within about ten working days of the court processing your application. International postage adds time, and multiple ten-year blocks or older records can stretch the turnaround further.
Historical and Family History Records
For older divorces in England and Wales, The National Archives at Kew holds Supreme Court divorce case files from 1858 to 1937. After 1937, less than 0.2 percent of case files survive, and petitions dated after 1972 were never transferred to The National Archives at all.7The National Archives. Divorce – The National Archives For those later periods the decree held by the court is usually the only surviving record. Case files are now destroyed 20 years after the divorce is finalized, so researchers chasing twentieth-century ancestors will often find the decree is all that is left.
Using a UK Divorce Record Overseas
If you need your UK divorce document recognized abroad, you’ll usually need an apostille, an internationally accepted certificate confirming the document is genuine. The UK’s Legalisation Office, part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, handles this.
A court-issued Final Order or Decree Absolute must carry a wet ink court seal. You apply online and post the original to the Legalisation Office. The standard paper apostille costs £45 per document, plus return postage of £5.50 within the UK or £29.50 outside Europe. Processing takes up to 15 working days before postage.8GOV.UK. Get Your Document Legalised
An electronic apostille is available for £35 and processes within two working days, but it requires the document to be electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor, meaning you need a solicitor-certified copy rather than the original. For most individuals the paper route is simpler despite the longer wait.