How to Get Certified Divorce Decree Copies in Mississippi

The Department of Health Can't Give You a Divorce Decree

This trips up a lot of people. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Office of Vital Records maintains birth and death certificates, but it does not store or distribute divorce decrees. What MSDH can do is perform an index search for $17 to tell you which county holds the divorce record — useful if you've lost track of where the case was filed.

The actual certified copies come from one place: the Chancery Clerk's office in the county where the divorce was granted.

How to Request Certified Copies

Contact the Chancery Clerk in the county where your divorce was finalized. Most counties accept requests in person, by mail, or by phone. Here's what you'll need:

• Full names of both parties as they appeared in the case
• Approximate date the divorce was finalized
• Case number (if you have it — this speeds up the search significantly)

For mail-in requests, include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your written request and payment.

What They Cost

Mississippi copy fees vary slightly by county, but the typical schedule is:

• Staff-made copies: $0.50 per page
• Self-made copies: $0.25 per page (if the clerk's office allows you to use their copier)
• Certification fee: $1.00 per document

A divorce decree is typically 5–15 pages, so expect to pay $3.50–$8.50 per certified copy. Some counties charge a flat certification fee per document rather than per page.

How Many Do You Need?

Order at least six certified copies. You'll need to present one to each of the following:

• Social Security Administration (name change)
• Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau (license update)
• Your bank or credit union (account changes)
• Mortgage lender (refinancing or title transfer)
• County Chancery Clerk land records division (deed recording)
• Your employer's HR department (insurance and retirement updates)

Some of these agencies keep the copy you submit. Others return it, but you don't want to wait for one to come back before starting the next update.

Certified vs. Regular Copies

Only certified copies — the ones stamped with the official court seal — are accepted by government agencies and financial institutions. A regular photocopy of your decree, even if it's legible and complete, will be rejected at the SSA office and the DPS counter.

If you need copies years after the divorce, the same Chancery Clerk's office still has the records. Mississippi courts maintain permanent records of divorce cases.

What Comes After the Copies

Certified copies in hand are the starting point for every post-divorce update: name changes, account closures, property transfers, retirement account orders, and beneficiary updates. The Mississippi After-Divorce Checklist walks through the full execution sequence, organized by the order you should tackle each agency.

See more Mississippi guides →