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As part of the divorce process, it is necessary for the Petitioner to send the courts either their original or a certified copy of their marriage certificate along with a completed Divorce Petition in order to begin the procedure. Understandably, many of our clients ask us whether or not their marriage certificate will be returned to them following them having received their Decree Absolute and their divorce having been finalised; so we thought we’d let you all know the answer to this question via our blog.

Generally, the courts do not return marriage certificates following a divorce having been finalised as both the Petitioner and Respondent are sent a document (the aforementioned Decree Absolute) confirming that their marriage has legally ended. This document not only serves as proof of the fact that the couple in question have been issued a divorce, but also that they were once married should any such proof be required.

In the event that either the Petitioner or Respondent wish to keep a copy of their marriage certificate for any reason, then they may either contact the court and request that they return the document to them or, alternatively, contact the relevant register office and request that they issue them with a certified copy of the certificate for a small fee.