The Hawaii Department of Health maintains record of all divorces that occurred from July 1951 TO December 2002. All other divorce records are maintained in the Court granting the divorce.
Requests for divorce certificates made to the State Department of Health must be in writing. Requests may be made by mail, via internet or in person. Telephone, e-mail or fax requests will not be accepted. Application forms are available online. A fee is charged for searching and issuing records. Fee for the first copy of each certificate is $10. A fee of $4 is to be paid for an additional copy ordered at the same time. An extra fee is charged for requests made via internet. The fee includes $ 1.5 for making the request and $.25 for each additional copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time.
Fees may be paid by money order, certified check, or cashier’s check payable to the State Department of Health. Personal Checks will not be accepted. While making request by mail do not send cash. However, cash payment may be made while making a Walk-in request. Search fee is non refundable. After receiving and processing the request if any changes are to be made in the order an additional fee of $ 10 will be charged.
Requests may be made by mail by sending the request with the required fee to the State Department of Health. The processing time is usually 2-3 weeks after receipt and approval of the application. The return time may extend for records that are very old.
In person requests for divorce records may be made by visiting the Health Department Office in the Health Department Building. Application forms are available in the building’s lobby area. Certified copies of divorce records are usually not issued on the same day of making the application. However, records may be issued on the same day if there is an urgent need. Written documentation establishing the need for urgency must be submitted. Normally, the records will be available within ten days of making a walk in request. However, the pick up time may be extended for records that are very old or in the process of being filed.
When applying in person or by mail, the applicant must show a valid government issued photo ID such as State ID or driver’s license.
Details to be provided in the application are:
- Full name of the husband
- Full name of the Wife including the maiden name
- Date of divorce
- File number of the certificate
- Place of Divorce
- Relationship between the applicant and the person named on the certificate
- Reason for requesting the records
- Applicant’s name, address, and telephone number
- Applicant’s Signature
- A letter authorizing the requestor to collect the certificate if the application is on behalf of someone else.
Requests may also be made for letters of verification. Letters of verification verifies if a divorce certificate exists on file with the Department of Health. Additionally, it also provides any other details relating to the divorce records that are requested by the applicant. The procedure and application form for requesting letters of verification are same as for certified copies. The fee for a letter of verification is $5 for each letter.
