A copy of a Minnesota Divorce Decree, which records a Dissolution of Marriage, can be obtained from the county which granted the divorce. A copy of the certificate of marriage record can be requested from the Minnesota county which issued the wedding license. You might encounter mention of several related documents. For example, to show that a marriage existed you don’t need to request a copy of the wedding license, because a certified copy of a marriage record is what your county uses to show that they know about the marriage. These are documents which are issued and maintained by the individual counties. Although a divorce decree is issued by a judge, the records are available through the county clerk’s office and not the judge personally. Similarly, weddings can be performed by many people but the official records are collected and maintained by the County Clerk (or Clerk of Court). There are similar procedures in other states for access to their permanent records, with variations such as some states using different names for the local government which Minnesota calls a “county”. When you have obtained your copies, you should keep them in a secure place to protect them against theft because they could be misused by identity thieves. Various fees apply, and if you don’t know the details such as the name of the registrant there might be a search fee. Check if the county clerk’s web page lists the fees and what information is needed. See also:
- Minnesota Department of Health about marriage and divorce documents.
- Hennepin County Marriage Record Certification.
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