Divorce Reports | South Carolina Department of Public Health

Please make sure your envelope is addressed to Vital Records for all mail requests.

Certified copies of the Report of Divorce are available from DPH for divorces that were decreed between July 1962 and December 2023.

Apply for a Report of Divorce

1. Online or by phone through VitalChek

Average processing time is 5-7 business days.

Visit VitalChek on the web or call 1-877-284-1008, 7 days a week, 24-hours-a-day. Only the persons named on the divorce report, their adult children or a present or former spouse may order through VitalChek.

You Will Need to Provide:

A $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
$3 for each additional copy
$12.85 additional charge to pay for the services of VitalChek
Shipping fees should you choose to have your record sent to you by UPS rather than regular U.S. mail

2. In-Person

Average processing time is 30-45 minutes.

Same day service is a goal of Vital Records; most requests can be processed the same day. For services that require additional processing time such as paternity affidavits, corrections and amendments, please arrive early to ensure adequate time to process your request. Same day service is not guaranteed for requests such as paternity affidavits, adoption processing, corrections and amendments.

Note: Vital Records experiences a high volume of in-person requests on Mondays and Fridays as well as during the lunch hours every day. Customers can help reduce their wait time by bringing exact payment (i.e., cash, check, money order) and completed forms. Non-peak hours are 9 AM - 11 AM Tuesday - Thursday.

You Will Need to Provide:

A completed application form
$17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
$3 for each additional copy
A valid government, school or employer issued photo ID.

Where to Go:

DPH State Vital Records Office, Columbia
- Office Hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Telephone: (803) 898-3630
- Address: 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201

3. By Mail

* Mail requests are only accepted at the state office.
Average processing time is 4 weeks.

You Will Need to Send:

A completed application form
A $12 non-refundable standard searching fee ($3 for each additional copy)
A photocopy of a valid government, school or employer issued photo ID. When we receive applications without proper identification, we reject them automatically; we do not process them.

Mail to:

Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171

4. Drop-off

* Drop-off requests are only accepted at the state office in Richland County.

You Will Need to Provide:

A completed application form.
You may select a standard $12 non-refundable search fee with a turn around time of 4 weeks or an expedited $17 non-refundable search fee with a turn around time of 5 business days or less (search fee includes one certified copy of the divorce report).
$3 for each additional copy.
You must pay with exact cash, money order, or cashier's check made payable to S.C. DPH.
A valid government, school or employer-issued photo ID.

Additional Information

We'll give you a receipt when you drop off your request.
We can mail your divorce report to you or you can pick it up at the Columbia State Office.

Where to Go:

DPH State Vital Records Office, Columbia
- Office Hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Telephone: (803) 898-3630
- Address: 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201

Frequently Asked Questions

You are entitled to obtain a certified copy of a divorce report if you are:

One of the divorced parties (husband or wife)
Adult child(ren) of the divorced parties
A present or former spouse of either divorced party, or their respective legal representative.

Other applicants may be provided a statement that the divorce occurred, including the date and county of divorce.

Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where divorce was granted.

Full name of the husband
Full name of the wife
Date of divorce
County where the divorce hearing was held
Signature of the person requesting the divorce record and their current mailing address
The relationship between the divorced parties and the person requesting the certified copy
Full name and complete mailing address where the certified copies are to be mailed
Area code and daytime telephone number of the person requesting the divorce record.

You should contact the Clerk of Court's office in the county where the divorce was filed for a copy of the decree. We do not have the divorce decree filed in Vital Records.

If you have not received any response to your request within 30 days of submission, you may call (803) 898-3630 or e-mail us (vrrequeststatus@dph.gov) for an update.

For more information, contact Constituent Services.