There must be occasions when you wonder about people's marital history and wished there was a way you could know instantly. Well, there is and it's called Divorce Records Online. They come in two versions: free and fee-based. Both could work but the question is which one suits your needs better? Time and money, that's basically what's at play between Free Online Divorce Records and paid ones. With a little research, understanding divorce records becomes easy.

Divorce Court Records account for one of the main vital record categories, the others being Marriage, Birth and Death Records. Since the 1960's, divorce records within the various states have been centralized to their respective repositories. Before that time, they existed independently at county level. Many of those old records were lost through history but some from as far back as the mid 1800's managed to survive the times and are now saved and safe in computer and film storage.

By token of the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act, 1966), Divorce Court Records became public information nationwide in 1966, albeit with variation from one state to the next as they come under state jurisdiction. Per the procedures outlined in the act, records and documents are mandated to be accessible and available to the public, with those officially under seal by the government for protection or security reasons bearing exception. They can be requested at the responsible public office in person, by telephone, mail or fax and most popularly of late, online.

The most popular mode of enquiring public records is the internet and the majority of the government agencies rendering this service have websites that support the function. The information itself is generally available free of charge but fees may be imposed for further services such as certified copies and verification letters of official articles and documents. Also, these government agencies are not linked beyond state boundaries. As a result, multiple-state searches carried out through them are done state by state and that gets cumbersome and laborious, online convenience notwithstanding.

A small expense of money will take you to the great expanse of paid divorce records. They are the premier league of public records. With them, retrieving the information is fast, accurate and convenient. The records from them are professionally packaged and delivered in plug-and-play form. They also include contents derived from private databases and specialist network. It's a fiercely competitive industry. Log onto any of the major search engines and you'll be spoilt for choice on such outfits.

At the end of the day, Free Divorce Records or paid, it's up to the individual. The rule of thumb is spend wisely and only if you have to. Say if you're just snooping around or just doing some casual research, stay with the freebies. Where marital welfare is concerned or if it's for an official undertaking such as immigration, marriage license or court proceeding, engage the professionals but be sure to pick the right one. With sufficient knowledge, taking the right action will come naturally.