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Direct answer

Decree or Divorce Certificate?

In New York, a divorce decree is the court document and is filed with the County Clerk, usually in the county where the divorce was granted. A divorce certificate is a separate vital record held by the New York State Department of Health for divorces from 1963 forward, including New York City. Matrimonial case records are restricted, so access is not the same as an ordinary public civil docket.

Document comparison

Divorce decree and divorce certificate are different records

Start by deciding which document the recipient actually needs.

Document Custodian What it is for Access / eligibility Request route
Divorce decree / judgment County Clerk for the county where the divorce was granted The court order ending the marriage and related matrimonial case record Matrimonial records are restricted; access is not the same as an ordinary public civil docket Contact the County Clerk / Supreme Court in the county where granted
Divorce certificate New York State Department of Health A separate vital-record certificate confirming the divorce NYS DOH limits certified-copy eligibility to a spouse or a person with a New York State court order Use the NYS DOH divorce-certificate process for divorces from 1963 forward
NYC routing

Identify the county behind the borough

New York City divorce cases are Supreme Court matters; the county name is what matters for the decree route.

Borough County name used by the court system Decree route
Bronx Bronx County Supreme Court / County Clerk for Bronx County
Brooklyn Kings County Supreme Court / County Clerk for Kings County
Manhattan New York County Supreme Court / County Clerk for New York County
Queens Queens County Supreme Court / County Clerk for Queens County
Staten Island Richmond County Supreme Court / County Clerk for Richmond County
Request sequence

Get the right NYC divorce record

The shortest path is to identify the county and document type before you contact an office.

  1. 01
    Identify the borough/county where the divorce was granted

    The decree is tied to the Supreme Court / County Clerk in that county.

  2. 02
    Choose decree or certificate

    Use the decree route for the court judgment; use NYS DOH for the separate divorce certificate.

    For an eligible divorce-certificate request, NYS DOH charges $30 per copy by mail, or $45 per copy online/by phone plus the vendor’s processing fee per transaction, not per copy. Use the DOH divorce-certificate page for its mail form or authorized ordering link; check the vendor’s current surcharge before choosing a method.

    Include copies of one valid photo ID: a driver’s license, state nondriver photo ID, passport or U.S. military photo ID. Alternatively, submit two qualifying documents showing your name and address: utility/telephone bills or a government-agency letter dated within six months. Applicants in a foreign country that requires a U.S. passport for travel must also supply a copy of that passport.

  3. 03
    Follow the access rules for that document

    Matrimonial files are restricted and certified vital-record copies have eligibility rules, so be ready to show identity/authority when required.

Divorce records are not an unrestricted public docket
New York Courts lists matrimonial information as confidential/restricted. Do not assume a name search will expose the full divorce file online.
Court distinction

Family Court does not grant divorces

New York Courts directs divorce matters to Supreme Court. Use the Supreme Court / County Clerk route for the decree rather than Family Court.

Practical distinction Use the record system that matches the document or question.

Related Record Guides

Sources

New York court and vital-record sources

Official vital-record source

NYS DOH - Divorce Certificates

Distinguishes certificate from decree and states certificate eligibility.

Certificate route