Free Bexar County Divorce Records (Search Resource)

Search divorce records in Bexar County for free today.

Through the Texas Public Information Act, citizens are granted explicit permission to search details of divorces and dissolutions of marriage throughout the state. These divorce records can be used in various situations, such as when applying for a marriage license or changing your name on a legal document. You can also look up divorce records simply to learn more about someone you know.

The big question for most people is how to find these records. This resource answers that question by providing detailed information on who maintains these records, available search tools, and steps for requesting divorce documents.

There is also important information and nuances to understand regarding the accessibility of certain divorce documents; read on for multiple solutions for your quest to access divorce records in Bexar County, Texas.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Find Free Bexar County Divorce Records

The first step in conducting a search of public divorce records is to determine the record custodian and the different ways they make this information available. Like other counties, the custodian of divorce records is the District Clerk’s Office.¹

The easiest and quickest way to access a divorce record in Bexar County is to use their District Clerk Case Record Search Tool.² To use this online tool, start by clicking on the Smart Search option. Since this search tool contains all civil cases, you will want to start by selecting the advanced filtering options so you can perform a targeted search.

To target your search results, select “District Clerk” under the Location drop-down menu. This will remove certain types of cases handled by other courts.

You can then perform a name-based search unless you already have the case number. When you perform a name-based search, there is also an option to select “sounds like” in case you are not sure how to spell an individual’s name.

Before performing your search, under the “case status” drop-down menu, you can select case closed if you are looking for divorces that have already been finalized. You can also set a filing date range to narrow down your search results to a particular time frame.

Once you submit your search criteria, the results will provide you with the case number, party name and type of case. Since this tool searches multiple records, you will want to look for cases that indicate “divorce” in the summary. Once you find the record you are searching for, click on the case number.

Once you click on the case number you are viewing the complete online record. You can see party information as well as a chronological listing of all events and orders issued by the court. Here, you can see a list of events, along with the date, for every action that occurred.

There is also a separate “Dispositions” section. Here, you can view when the decree of divorce was issued, the judge, and the location of the physical record (volume and page number). This information can come in handy if you decide to search the complete record in person or submit a formal request.

If you are in need of a Bexar County divorce record (certified or not), you can submit a request directly to the District Clerk.³ The District Clerk does not identify specific information you should provide with your request, but a case number and the party names will typically suffice. You can also provide the year the case was filed.

The fee for a certified record (divorce certificate) is $5.00, and there is an additional $1.00 per page charge. Payments by check or money order can be made payable to Lucy Adame-Clark, Bexar County Clerk. A request, along with the appropriate fee, can be submitted by mail or in-person to the address below:

Bexar County Clerk
Civil Central Filing Department
Ste. 104, 100 Dolorosa St.
San Antonio, Texas 78205

You may have additional questions about searching or requesting divorce records. If that is the case, you can call the Bexar County District Clerk’s Office at 210-335-2113.⁵ For any questions, you can contact them Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Certain cities afford citizens the opportunity to request divorce records with their local government agencies. While there are options available at the state and county level, divorce records cannot be obtained from any municipal agencies.

How To Search Statewide Divorce Records via the Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Section

So far, you have learned how to access divorce records specifically located in Bexar County. However, you may have a desire to look up divorce records in other counties in Texas. One option is to figure out the process for searching divorce records in each of these counties, although that is not your only option.

Another option is to search or make a request with another statewide agency, such as the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services.⁶ They can provide a divorce verification letter for any divorce that occurred in Texas from 1968 to the present. A divorce verification letter costs $20.00 per request and is simply used to provide formal verification that two parties were divorced on a particular date in the state of Texas.

While divorce records are generally available to the public, a verification letter is only available to a narrow group of individuals with a specific relationship to the person listed on the record. In addition to the person listed on the record, the following people can request a divorce verification letter:

• Parent
• Guardian
• Grandparent
• Child
• Sibling
• Spouse
• A person with legal interest in the record (e.g., a court order issued)
• Legal representative

To request a divorce verification letter, you have three options. The first option is the quickest by submitting your divorce verification request online.⁷ Your second option is to complete the Application for Divorce Record and mail it to the address below:⁸

Texas Vital Statistics
Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, Texas 78711

The third option is to take that complete application and bring it in person to any local office that accepts these requests.⁹ Regardless of the method you choose, you will have to provide the names of both parties to the divorce, the date it occurred, and the county.

Other helpful information you can provide includes the age of the parties when they were divorced and their social security number. You must also provide your contact information and your qualified relationship with the parties listed on the divorce record.

A divorce index contains a summary of information about a particular dissolution. The Vital Statistics Section maintains a yearly index with information starting in 1968.¹⁰ This yearly index is available to anyone, and the restrictions that pertain to the divorce verification letter are not applicable here.

The indexes will provide citizens with information on the parties that were divorced, their age and how many children they had under the age of 18 when their divorce occurred. In addition, you can view the date and location of the divorce as well as when the two were married.

If you have questions specific to accessing and viewing these indexes, feel free to send an email to [email protected].

Common law divorce records, as they are sometimes referred to, can also be accessed through both the indexes and by requesting a verification letter. Texas honors common law marriages where two parties did not get married in the traditional fashion. Just like traditional marriages, common law marriages must be ended by a formal divorce, and that information is then made available to the general public.

For any questions you may have with regards to obtaining statewide divorce information, visit the Marriage & Divorce FAQ page or contact the Vital Statistics Section at 888-963-7111.^{11, 12} They are available for your inquiries Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Can Anyone View Divorce Records in Bexar County?

In Bexar County, anyone can order divorce records. However, that does not mean they can view every piece of information connected to a divorce. While there is a general right to divorce records through the Public Information Act, there are situations when information may be restricted from the public.¹³

In Bexar County, there are two primary situations when divorce record information may be restricted from the general public. The more likely example is a divorce record that contains sensitive information.

Sensitive information can be wide-ranging, but examples include data about a minor child, bank account numbers, or personal identifying information (e.g., driver’s license or social security number). This type of information does not restrict the entire record but will be redacted or simply not included in the public divorce record.

Even more restrictive and rarer is when an entire divorce record is sealed. This occurs when a party is able to present evidence to the court that the release of the record to the public would be more damaging than the harm of restricting information from the public. This only occurs in limited situations and requires proof that there is no other option but to seal the divorce record.

In Bexar County, divorce records are easy to access, but it’s important to distinguish general divorce papers from specific documents you may need. The general divorce record has basic information about the dissolution and can be accessed both formally and informally.

However, you may need a certified record or the divorce decree. In these situations, you have to make a more formal request.

A certified record (as opposed to one that is non-certified) is official proof that a divorce occurred and can be used to resolve a legal or business matter. A decree is the judge’s official issuance of a divorce. The decree also contains the terms of the divorce, such as the amount of spousal or child support and the division of marital assets and debts.

Regardless of what type of divorce record you are looking for, you may run into roadblocks. It may be that you can’t find a record because you do not have a person’s full name or they were divorced in another county. There also may be a situation where the source you are searching did not include a particular divorce record.

In these situations, you may need to resort to using a third-party provider that can track down the divorce record. However, unless they are endorsed by a government agency as an official record provider, the information they obtain can only be used for informational purposes. You can then use this information to make a request with the Bexar County District Clerk if you need a certified record.

There is plenty of information you can uncover by searching divorce records in Bexar County; use this article as a resource for identifying the type of divorce record you need and how to find it.