How Do I Get A Copy Of My Decree Absolute?

How Do I Get A Copy Of My Decree Absolute?

If you have lost your Decree Absolute (now called a ‘Final Order since April 2022) confirming the end of your marriage, the good news is that it is quick and easy to get a copy. In this article, we will explain how you can get a copy of your Decree Absolute in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

How To Get A Copy Of A Decree Absolute In England And Wales

How you get a copy of your Decree Absolute will depend on whether you know which court processed your divorce and your divorce case number, as follows:

Requesting a Decree Absolute if you know the court and case number

If your case number is 16 digits, you should apply for a copy of your Decree Absolute to the Divorce Service Centre. Otherwise, if your case reference is not 16 digits, you should apply for a copy of your Decree Absolute to the specific court that dealt with and finalised your divorce.

To apply, send your name and address, divorce case number, and confirmation of how you want to pay by email or post to the Divorce Service Centre. The fee for a copy of your Decree Absolute is £11. You should receive your document within a week of paying the fee.

The address for the Divorce Service Centre is:

HMCTS Divorce and Dissolution Service

PO Box 13226, Harlow

CM20 9UG

You can find the address of the court that handled your divorce by searching online on the government website.
 

Requesting a Decree Absolute if you don’t know the court or case number

If you are not sure which court handled your divorce, you can ask the Central Family Court online to carry out a search (alternatively, you can do this by post using form D440). The fee for this Decree Absolute search service is £65 for up to 10 searches. To use this service, make sure to provide:

• Your name and contact details

• The address you need the copy of the final order or decree absolute posted to

• The name of the person who applied for divorce, annulment or dissolution

• The name of the person who responded to the application, and

• The search start and end dates

Also, where possible, try to provide the following information to speed up your search:

• The date of the marriage

• The date the divorce, annulment or dissolution application was filed

• The date and the court in which the conditional order or decree nisi was granted

• The date the final order or decree absolute was granted

If you know which court handled your divorce and your divorce Final Order was issued online after January 2019 or by post after April 2022, send your request to the Divorce Service Centre. If your Decree Absolute was issued outside of these dates, apply to the court that handled your divorce.

The court or Divorce Centre will need your name and address, and confirmation of how you want to pay. The Divorce Service Centre or court will then carry out the search for your Decree Absolute based on the information provided. When doing so, they will look at 5 years of records on either side of the dates you provided.