Divorce is really the dissolution of marriage; that is, it is an official conclusion of a union between two parties. What takes place is an end to legal commitments of marriage and severs the “bonds of matrimony”. Generally as worldwide divorce can be a very different process, a court will intervene in the transaction as well as make use of other powers. It is said that about fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce.

Only until very recently legal divorce was not available in certain countries. Some areas in the world still do not recognize divorce. Just recently Malta legalized divorce in 2011.

Divorce in legal terms will be considered official when a final certificate of divorce has been issued or received. But there are a couple of kinds of divorce in question. For example, there is the Divorce Certificate and the Divorce Decree. What are the differences?

First of all, a Divorce is considered to be a record. A record is something like a Birth Certificate or Death Certificate or a Marriage Certificate. Remember that it is a legally binding contract. If one marries by applying for a license, then one, if needed, shall divorce legally.

The Divorce Decree and the Divorce Certificate are usually different terms that refer to the same document. Surprisingly only a limited number of states have certificates and decrees.

Divorce Decree

The Divorce Decree is a document issued and written by the court. The court establishes and declares terms and even conditions for the divorce. It is a judgment of divorce and is signed by the judge. Afterwards, the divorce decree is filed with the appropriate authorities, for example the County Clerk of the County. Of course, the decree is filed in the same area where the divorce was issued.

Divorce Certificate

A very important fact is that certified copies of this Certificate are considered to be official copies that are produced by the court. This document is issued at the County or even State area of government.

This certificate is a Record from the state archive; what’s more, it is a short document that confirms that the divorce between the two parties did occur. Also, there are facts that show in what state it occurred and the particular date the divorce happened.

When we focus more on the different divorce documents we look at the varying state levels. We see that in most states that certified copies of the Divorce Decree are available.

Overseas

All legal documents that have to do with divorce must be certified true copies for authentication. Typical common uses for this document can be but is not limited to: Marriage, Visa or an Inheritance.