- No Fault Uncontested Divorce Forms
- Marital Settlement Agreement

Divorce records are considered public records in all states although there may be variations in the way they are governed and treated from one state to another. To search divorce records in any of the states, there are basically two options: government or private. Government sources are generally thought to be free, albeit largely the contrary in Texas while higher expectations are placed upon private ones. Either will work and is a matter of individual preference or situation.

The government department which is in charge of divorce records in Texas is the Texas Department of State Health Services and the service is provided out of its Vital Statistics Unit under the Report of Divorce Index section. These indexes can be downloaded free of charge from the department’s website. There are close to a hundred thousand divorce files maintained by the office but its function to this end is limited to primarily providing verification letters associated with divorce.

A Divorce Letter of Verification from the Vital Statistics Office only states whether or not a divorce was issued in the state of Texas. It contains the names of the divorcing parties, the county where the divorce was granted and the court case number. Fees are $20.00 for a letter. They are considered searching charges and hence not refundable or transferable to another record whether or not a search yields any results. However if a search results in a ‘no record found’, it can be used as proof of single-status (marital). Verification letters are available to divorces that occurred from 1968 to the last day of the year preceding the current one.

For other divorce records such as certified copies of Divorce Certificates and Divorce Decrees, you must contact the District Clerk’s office in the county where the divorce was filed as they are not maintained at the Vital Statistics Office. On that same note, Reports of Divorce Indexes before 1968 are not available there either due to the fact that divorce applications were not filed with the State offices until 1968 so they too have to be obtained at their office of origin in the respective counties.

Texans are a special lot. The reasons behind their search for Texas Divorce Records are varied and flowery. There are also Texans who have resided in multiple states or county prior to Texas. As such, the complete divorce records of these folks will cut across state borders and the various state public record databases are not linked. As a result, employing government agencies for multiple-state divorce record searches becomes unfeasible. That’s why private record providers are the preferred option for Texas Divorce Records Search especially when time and personal bandwidth are a constraint. Their databases typically cover all states.

Commercial record providers are the end-all solution for those who can see past the fees involved but only if you signed up with the right one. The demand for this type of service has soared in recent times due to its obvious edge over using public agencies. This has consequently attracted many pretenders onto the bandwagon. Having that said, it’s not difficult to identify the bona-fide providers. One of the best ways is to check out the review or specialist sites which are abundantly found in any of the major search engines. They seldom miss.

Government or private record providers for Texas Divorce Records? Make the right choice to suit your particular needs. You can learn all about them by visiting our site at Online Divorce Records.

Divorce Lawyers Killeen Texas

- No Fault Uncontested Divorce Forms
- Marital Settlement Agreement

An Overview of the Divorce Process in Texas

- No Fault Uncontested Divorce Forms
- Marital Settlement Agreement

A separation agreement is a written legal document that memorializes the marital and divorce agreements of a married couple prior to divorce. Separation agreements must be signed and notarized to become effective. A separation agreement must be entered into voluntarily with complete understanding and full disclosures on the part of both parties to be enforceable.

A contested divorce, or a divorce without an agreement, can cost thousands of dollars in attorney fees, court costs and filing fees. By contrast, an uncontested divorce where both parties have resolved their differences by agreement is much less expensive and time consuming. A separation agreement can reduce the cost of a divorce by resolving important martial dissolution issues such as alimony, child custody and visitation, child support and property distribution.

Many people confuse separation agreements with “legal separation”. In general, a separation agreement is not a legal separation. A “legal separation” is a term given to the status of the married couple and a “separation agreement” is simply an enforceable contract between husband and wife regarding their agreements about the dissolution of their marriage. Most jurisdictions require a physical separation of the parties to effect a legal separation; however, some states permit married couples to continue to live together during the legal separation period (sometimes called cohabitation).

Some states require nothing more than a physical separation of the parties to begin a legal separation. Other states require the filing of certain documents with court to effectuate a legal separation. Although a separation agreement can be considered to be a legal separation in some instances, the two terms are usually not interchangeable.

There are several advantages to separation agreements. Most states reward couples who have entered into a separation agreement by allowing the couple to be divorced quicker than those couples without separation agreements. A separation agreement almost universally allows a couple to pursue the divorce on an uncontested basis which can be thousands of dollars cheaper than an ugly contested divorce.

Check with a divorce attorney in your state to discuss how separation agreements can make your divorce easier or visit www.directlex.com [http://www.directlex.com/catalog/divorce-separation-agreement-c-21_22.html] to view sample separation agreements for download.

Jameson Joyce writes for LegalHelpOnline.org [http://legalhelponline.org] the free legal resource solution.

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