Hawaii Divorce Records

Divorce Records in Hawaii

Since the 1900s, divorce records are maintained for every divorce that occurs. Since the states mandate the granting of divorces, the states are responsible to maintain the records.

Several states maintain a central repository for all vital records. However, it is important to note that records are not available for all years and certified copies are not available at all from the state offices.

Prior to the early 1900s, few records were even kept at government offices. Personal record keeping, such as entries in bibles, was relied upon to verify events.

In Hawaii, the State office has and maintains divorce records since July 1951. However, certified copies must be requested from the specific county where the divorce was filed and finalized, since they are not available at the state level.

Divorce records are commonly requested for legal issues in an attempt to verify that a divorce has taken place. Occasionally, they are requested for genealogical reasons to identify family members and events.

The lookup and copy fees for requested searches and certified copies of divorce records vary across states and even across counties. This number is available to request the lookup cost for vital records in a particular county in Hawaii: 808-586-4539. In addition, this number can be used to request fees for other types of official record searches and copies, such as birth, death, and marriage, in the counties of Hawaii. Typically, the requested fee is a small amount. It is designed simply to recover the cost of the search and copies.

In Hawaii, written requests for divorce records should be sent to the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was finalized. Since divorce records are filed by the husband�s last name, provide his name. If it isn�t available in full, then conduct a search of past and present spouses to acquire his full name. Moreover, this type of search can be used to locate the name of the county since the addresses of all spouses are listed along with his or her name.

Most official record searches take between two to ten business days depending upon the amount of information that is provided with the request. Genealogical searches may take longer in many instances for a variety of reasons including the year of the divorce, the pertinent information that is provided, the availability of courthouse resources and staff, and the urgency of the request.

Follow the guidelines here to produce a more efficient search.

1. Print or type each complete name and address clearly to avoid confusion. This includes the full name of both the husband and the wife. The maiden name should be included for the wife.
2. Keep your request brief and to the point.
3. Limit your request to one document.
4. Include the full names of the individuals, including nicknames and alternate spellings that may have been used.
5. Include the full address of the individual at the time of the divorce, including street, city or town, and state. If you know the county in which the divorce took place, include that as well.
6. Include the date that the divorce was finalized. If you do not have this piece of information available, include a time frame for the search. Generally, it is best to specify a short span of years for an unknown year search. You can always expand the number of years that you search, and a shorter span will lead to a shorter search. You can expect to pay an additional fee for searches such as this that require more effort.
7. Include contact information where you can be reached in the event that more information is required. Include a daytime telephone number, as well as, an evening telephone number. You may also include a fax number or an e-mail address.
8. Include your relationship to the individual�s listed in your search request.
9. Include the purpose of your request.
10. Print your name clearly and sign your request. Some states may also require additional identifying information on you as well, including a driver�s license number.
11. Include a SASE, or self addressed stamped envelope with your request for a speedier delivery.
12. Include the date that you mail your request with your correspondence.

A list of the local county courthouses for Hawaii is provided below in alphabetical order. Telephone numbers have been provided when available, but should be used for informational purposes only. Written requests are required for record lookups.

State Department of Health
Office of Health Status Monitoring
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801

Hawaii County
25 Aupuni St., Room 209
Hilo, HI 96720-4252
Telephone: (808) 961-8255

Honolulu County
Honolulu County Clerk
City Hall
Honolulu, HI 96813-3014
Telephone: (808) 586-4533

Kauai County
Kauai County Clerk
4396 Rice Street
Lihue, HI 96766-1337
Telephone: (808) 246-3330

Maui County
Maui County Office of the County Clerk
200 S. High St.
Wailuku, HI 96793-2155
Telephone: (808) 243-7825
 

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