How to Find Out if Someone Is Divorced: Expert Tips and Tricks

Cindy Ellis - March 14, 2023

couple signing divorce papers

If you’ve started dating someone new or are otherwise curious about someone’s marital status, you may wonder how to find out if someone is divorced. This information may be easily available if you know where to look and how to identify signs that someone is currently married or in a relationship.

Our article helps you understand some of the popular reasons individuals may have for figuring out someone’s marital status in addition to giving you advice on the best methods for finding out if someone is divorced.

Reasons to Figure Out Someone’s Marital Status

There are many reasons why you might be searching for someone’s marital status. Most of the time, individuals are trying to find out if someone they know is divorced because they have just started dating them, or they are interested in dating them. Figuring out a person’s marital status is essential to making sure they are telling the truth about their previous relationship history and that you are free to start a relationship with them without encountering any future issues.

Other common reasons why you might be trying to figure out someone’s marital status is because of curiosity, to learn how to address them properly, or to ensure they are single before setting them up with someone (or yourself!).

As long as you aren’t researching someone’s marital status with plans to stalk, harass, or otherwise commit illegal activities, you are free to utilize all legal and safe methods to try and get to the bottom of whether or not someone is divorced.

Are Divorce Decrees Public Record?

In most states, divorce decrees are considered public records. However, states have varying procedures for obtaining a copy of both marriage and divorce decrees. Receiving a copy of a divorce decree typically involves making a request to the county vital records office where the divorce was finalized via mail, in person, or through an online system. You will most likely need to fill out a request form, show proof of your identity, and pay a fee. The copy of the divorce decree will be mailed to you or printed out and handed to you if you visit your records office in person.

Methods for Figuring Out if Someone Is Divorced

When you want to know how to find out if someone is divorced, you can start following the methods below. Make sure to use all the available search methods and consider which ones fit your needs the best, for example, a more subtle search method when you want your research activities to stay relatively unnoticed.

Observe Their Behavior

Being observant about someone’s behavior is one of the best ways to determine whether or not they are divorced, still married, or otherwise in a relationship. It’s important to pay attention to little details like the person wearing a wedding ring or having tan lines where a wedding ring might be, or the person driving a car that is equipped with children’s seats or other items that might indicate they have a family.

Of course, having items related to children doesn’t necessarily indicate marriage, but combined with other strange behaviors, it might be a red flag.

You should also observe how they act around you and whether or not they refer to a supposed ex-partner as their wife by accident. They may also want to take you on dates one town over, answer their phone at strange times, be guarded with their devices, and avoid meeting with you in popular public places—this is often done to avoid notice by someone they know or their partner.

Ask Them Directly

If you aren’t worried about the person taking offense to your question, or you are trying to get to know them and are genuinely curious, you may be able to ask them directly about their marital status. Simply wait for the topic or a related topic to come up in normal conversation and then ask, or broach the conversation with them yourself and see what they have to say. If they appear uncomfortable with your question or decline to answer, don’t push the topic, as this may cause unpleasant feelings between the both of you.

Consult Mutual Friends and Family

Consulting mutual friends and family of the person in question is a great way to learn if they are divorced or not without directly asking them. Simply ask around to coworkers, friends, and family to see if anyone has more information or an answer about whether or not the person is divorced.

However, it’s important to note that if you try this method, people might wonder why you are asking if the person is divorced and question you. Word of you asking around about the person’s marital status might also reach them, leading to an awkward situation if you want to be more secretive about your search.

Try a different search method if you don’t share any mutual friends or family with the person or if you want to ensure your questioning about their marital status stays more private.

Search Social Media

Searching social media is one of the easiest places to start finding out if someone is divorced or not, as people often put their life updates and relationship status on their social media accounts. This is also a great way to research someone’s marital status without directly asking them or alerting them that you are interested in them.

Social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn or Snapchat can be great starting points for finding more information about a person. When using social media platforms to search, just make sure you know if your profile views will be shown to the person in question, as some websites offer this feature, like LinkedIn.

You should also keep in mind that you will likely need an account on the social media site in question to fully access all search functions. The person you’re searching for will also need to have their divorce status listed publicly.

Some individuals that are hiding relationships or trying to keep their marriage away from prying eyes while they engage in suspect behaviors may have different social media accounts they give out to others, so be wary of this possibility.

Public and Vital Records Searches

Public and vital records searches are another easy way to view divorce or marriage decrees and determine if someone is married. These searches can be performed through the county clerk’s office or courthouse where you believe the marriage or divorce was finalized. State procedures do vary, but you will most likely need to submit a request for the divorce or marriage decree, pay a fee, and show proof of your own identity.

Speak to staff at your local courthouse, visit online public records websites for your jurisdiction, or start searching through vital records offices for more information.

Online Public Record Search Tools

Online public record search tools are a great alternative if you don’t want to search directly through public records offices, courthouse websites, or state vital records offices to find a divorce decree. By using an online public record search tool, you can input the person’s name and location and easily pull up all publicly available information about them, including marital status, address and employment history, education history, and social media accounts that might be in their name.

Once you review the compiled report, you should have your answer on whether or not someone is divorced or more information you can utilize to properly research their marital status.

Check Their Devices for Information

While this is typically not a great idea or a first option to find out if someone is divorced, checking the person’s devices, such as their phone or computer, for information on their marital status might be necessary. If you have been dating someone for a significant period of time or if you are just getting to know someone and you have observed suspicious behavior from them, you may want to quickly check through their message or browsing history. Doing this can give you information on if they have a partner or family that they are hiding.

Again, this may not be the best idea if you suspect that your partner might get violent or if they have lots of protection on their phone that you won’t be able to break through. Be cautious and use common sense if you decide to try and figure out someone’s marital status using this method.

Is It Legal to Research Someone’s Marital Status?

It is legal to research someone’s martial status using a variety of search methods as long as you ensure that you aren’t using the information to stalk or harass someone or otherwise commit illegal activities. When trying to find out if someone is divorced, only stick to legal, safe, and low-risk searching methods to find out the information you need, as this is best for you and the person you are searching for.

Finding the Vital Information You Need

There are many situations in which it might be essential to find out if someone is divorced or not. If you need to track down this information for yourself or on behalf of someone else, you can use the search methods discussed in our article. Make sure that you pick the search options that fit your needs, such as having a search remain more private, and that you always err on the side of caution when it comes to researching someone else using their public records.

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