How to Get a Certified Copy of Your Divorce Decree in Missouri

Every post-divorce task — name change, bank account closure, title transfer, beneficiary update — starts with the same requirement: a certified copy of your dissolution decree. Not a photocopy, not a printout from Case.net, not an uncertified statement from the state. A certified copy with an original court seal.

Getting one is simple, but knowing where to go (and where not to go) saves you wasted trips and rejected applications.

Where to Get Certified Copies

The Circuit Clerk's office in the county where your dissolution was granted. This is the only source of certified copies of your actual decree. Not the Recorder of Deeds. Not the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (which only issues uncertified verification letters for statistical purposes). The Circuit Clerk.

If your divorce was granted in St. Louis County, you go to the St. Louis County Circuit Clerk. Jackson County goes to the Jackson County Circuit Clerk. The decree stays with the court that issued it.

How to Request Copies

In person: Visit the Circuit Clerk's office with a government-issued photo ID. Ask for certified copies of the Judgment of Dissolution. You can typically get them while you wait.

By mail: Send a written request to the Circuit Clerk's office with:

• Your full legal name and your ex-spouse's full legal name
• The approximate date of the dissolution
• The case number (if you have it)
• A photocopy of your government-issued photo ID
• A check or money order for the copy fees
• A self-addressed stamped envelope

Online via Case.net: Missouri's Case.net system lets you look up your case and view documents online, but these are informational copies — not certified. Use Case.net to find your case number and verify details before requesting certified copies from the clerk.

Fees

Certified copy fees vary by county but typically run:

• $0.25 to $0.30 per page for the document copy
• $1.50 to $5.00 per document for the certification seal

A standard dissolution decree runs 5 to 15 pages, so expect $3 to $10 per certified copy. Order at least three copies — you'll need them for simultaneous submissions to the Social Security Administration, the DOR for your driver's license, your mortgage lender, and the passport office.

Certified vs. Uncertified: Why It Matters

The Social Security Administration won't accept a photocopy. Neither will the Missouri Department of Revenue when you're updating your driver's license. Banks, insurance companies, and the U.S. Passport Office all require either a certified copy or at minimum a court-stamped document.

An uncertified copy from Case.net or a statement from the Division of Vital Records is useful for your personal records but won't move the needle on any official post-divorce update.

What If You Don't Know Which County

If you're unsure which county court handled your dissolution, search on Case.net using your name. The system covers all Missouri Circuit Courts and will show you where the case was filed. You can also contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which maintains a statewide index of dissolution records and can tell you the county of record (though they can't issue the certified copy themselves).

If you're working through the full sequence of post-divorce updates — name change, bank accounts, vehicle titles, real estate — the Missouri After-Divorce Checklist maps out exactly which agencies need certified copies and how many to order upfront.

See more Missouri guides →