How to Know If Someone Is Divorced?

Divorce is a personal matter. But there may come a time when those outside the matter need to know if a person is divorced. The most common reason is to ensure relationship compatibility by understanding their history. Another reason is to find out if they are being truthful about their claim to be single.

Other less personal reasons include looking into someone's ancestry for legal situations such as business partnerships, child custody, and support and navigating the nuances of social norms in particular cultures.

These are all valid reasons, and investigations into obtaining this information should be done respectfully and discreetly.

Most people use private investigators to determine if a person is divorced. However, there are other ways to determine if someone is divorced, which may be affordable and discrete. Learn more about them below.

Make Use Of Social Media

Social media is a pool of information, especially when it comes to finding out personal information about people in your life. A lot of people post major milestones publicly to followers and friends. They can be positive, such as getting married or having a baby, and negative, such as losing a loved one or getting divorced.

So, if you are wondering, 'Is he still married?' go to social media and check out their profile. Finding this information for people who are friends or followers on social media is simple. You can see their status updates and posts easily by visiting their profiles.

But the person of interest could be a non-friend or with a secret profile hiding details about a marriage. Therefore, consider using Google image search to uncover their profile. Investigators may also create generic profiles to request access to private accounts and profiles.

Sometimes, the person of interest may not publicly announce the divorce. But subtle changes such as missing pictures of a previous spouse, changing the profile picture from a couple shot to a solo shot, and increased solo picture updates may indicate divorce.

Newspaper

Before social media, people would turn to the newspaper to check if someone was divorced. Finding the information using a newspaper is challenging but may be worth the time and effort.

Researchers can start with online newspaper archives to search for articles related to divorce. In addition, some newspaper websites have a search function that researchers can use to conduct name-specific searches.

Furthermore, researchers can visit local libraries or archives for physical copies of newspapers from the past, which they can search through.  

Public Records

How can you find out if someone is divorced legally and discreetly? Public records on marriages and divorce could be at your disposal if you meet the requirements.

Marriage records are at the county, town and city level. Therefore, researchers need to determine where the person of interest lives or lived during the suspected marriage or divorce. Once they have the location, they can visit the county, town, or city and then find the records department.

Some places classify divorce records as vital records that are only accessible to a specific group of people. Check if you meet requirements such as being married to the person of interest, being directly related to the person on the record, having a legal document allowing access to the record, or having a legal reason to access the document.

Researchers must follow procedures to access these documents, such as paying certain fees and meeting formatting requirements. Alternatively, researchers may conduct a vital record search from legal websites to access the information at a fee.

Engage The Assistance Of A Private Investigator

Using a private investigator is how to find out if someone is divorced without much effort. You can save time on research by working with a professional who can legally look into a person when social media and public records fail.

Private investigators have the right tools and resources to discover multiple things about a person's past, even if they do not have much information online.

Investigators often start by running a background search on the person of interest. This often reveals information such as addresses and associations. In addition, they may determine if a person lived under a different name, had properties under their name or jointly, or if they owned a vehicle.

This information comes from specialized databases and can indicate if the person under investigation is married and to whom they could be married. Experienced investigators follow such patterns to unveil the truth about the person's marital status.

Unlike social media and other resources, using a private investigator to find out if someone is divorced costs money, which can be high depending on the professional, case complexity, and other factors. Therefore, those using this option must be ready to invest in good services.

Government Websites

Government websites can be a valuable resource for obtaining information about someone's divorce status, especially if divorce records are considered public information in the jurisdiction. These records are usually at the country level under the clerk of the county or city. The clerks usually issue these certificates and can, therefore, provide copies online. 

Here's how to check if someone is divorced through government websites:

• Identify the jurisdiction. The first step is determining the jurisdiction in which the divorce likely took place. Researchers must know the location to access the relevant government website.
• Visit the right website. Researchers must then visit the official website of the relevant government agency responsible for vital records or court records. It is often the county clerk's office or the state's department of health or vital records. Researchers can work from the state or county website to find this office's URL.
• Search for divorce records. Use the search or records section of the government website to find divorce records. The process may vary from one jurisdiction to another, but most sites will have a search function for vital records.
• Provide information. Researchers may need to provide certain information about the person whose divorce status they want to verify. It includes their full name, date of birth, and the approximate date of the divorce. The more details a researcher can provide, the more accurate the search will be.
• Access records. If the jurisdiction's website allows public access to divorce records, researchers may be able to view or download the records directly from the website. In some cases, researchers may need to visit the courthouse in person or request the records by mail or online, per their specific procedures.
• Pay applicable fees. Some government websites charge fees for accessing or obtaining copies of divorce records. Therefore, researchers should be ready to pay these fees if needed.

Worth Noting: Researchers must comply with any privacy laws and regulations governing the access to divorce records in the jurisdiction. Unauthorized or unethical use of divorce information may have legal consequences.

Know What You’re Getting Into

As you move forward with your inquiries, remember that your intent should be respectful and in line with the law. Respect privacy and boundaries at all times.

Make use of our vital record search tool today. And if you have further questions or require more information on this topic, check out our resources.