Bergen County Court
Bergen County Divorce Records

Bergen County, New Jersey Divorce Records

Under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), Bergen County divorce records are public and accessible to individuals who may require them for legal purposes, remarriage, genealogical research, or other personal reasons. However, there are restrictions on public access to Bergen County divorce records whose disclosure may compromise personal privacy and security.

New Jersey Divorce Statistics: Data from the United States National Center for Health Statistics shows that the divorce rates in New Jersey are below the national average. In 2023, the state’s average of 2.2 divorces per 1,000 is less than the U.S. average of 2.4 per 1,000 for the same year.

Are Divorce Records Public in Bergen County?

Yes, interested individuals can access Bergen County divorce records. P.L. 201 Chapter grants individuals the right to access Bergen County divorce records and other documents in the custody of government agencies, but with significant limitations on personal information.

Under federal and New Jersey laws, non-parties to a divorce cannot access sensitive divorce information, such as:

Financial account details
Social Security Numbers
Information relating to domestic violence
Child settlement agreements
Information about minor children.

Bergen County’s publicly accessible divorce information includes:

Names of the involved parties
Final judgment
Court filings
Date of divorce
Docket and case number
The date the divorce was final
Case dockets.

How to Find Divorce Records in Bergen County

Bergen County divorce records are accessible online, in person, or by mail. The best options for finding a Bergen County divorce record may depend on its age. While recent divorce records may be accessible online through the New Jersey Courts Electronic Access to Court Records Portal, older records may require mail or in-person requests to the Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office or the New Jersey Superior Court Records Center.

The NJ Electronic Access Program (EAP) charges a $4.00 per-minute fee to allow access to divorce records (including those of Bergen County) through its Family Automated Case Tracking System (FACTS). This tracking system provides access to Bergen County divorce records from 1992 to the present.

For mail-in requests for Bergen County divorce records:

Download a New Jersey Courts Court Records Request Form and save it on the computer
Complete the request form:
In the Records Request Processing Location" section, select "Superior Court Clerk’s Office" (SCCO) and then Bergen County
Provide the case number or the names of the litigants, and the appropriate year of divorce
Specify the record type. For instance, a final judgment or a certified copy of the divorce decree
Save the completed request form
Click the "Submit Completed Form" link on the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) System and log in or create an account to submit a reque.st
Make a payment to cover the copy fees. A Bergen County court divorce search through the JEDS costs $25.00.

Record seekers who prefer in-person access for Bergen divorce records should visit the Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office at:

The Bergen County Justice Center

10 Main Street,

Hackensack,

New Jersey 07601.

Record seekers should note that, notwithstanding public access laws, the Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office will release divorce records only to the subjects or their attorneys. Hence, there is a need for valid government-issued photo IDs. All other requesters are required to obtain court orders directing the Superior Court Clerk’s Office to release the documents. This rule is specific to family law records.

Method	Where to Go	Info Needed	Cost	Processing Time
Online	New Jersey Courts Electronic Access to Court Records Portal	Case name Docket number Credit card details	$25.00 for a certified copy and 5¢ per letter-sized page of non-certified, in addition to card processing fees	Within 24 hours
Mail-in	Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) system	Court order (if not a party to the case) Valid government-issued photo ID	$25.00 for a certified copy and 5¢ per letter-sized page of non-certified. Credit card processing fees also apply	10 to 15 business days
Walk-in	Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office at: The Bergen County Justice Center 10 Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 Phone: (201) 221-0700	Case name and docket number (of known) Valid government-issued photo ID Court order (for non-parties to a divorce case) Payment for copy and certification fees	$25.00 for a certified copy and 5¢ per letter-sized page of non-certified. Search fees may apply (if the case number is not available) in addition to processing fees for payments by debit or credit card	Same day

Overview of the Bergen County Court System

The Bergen County court system consists of Superior, Surrogate’s, and Municipal Courts. Under the New Jersey trial system, Superior Courts have general authority over civil and criminal cases, but handle cases beyond the jurisdiction of the other courts. The Bergen County Superior Court Comprises a Civil, Criminal, and Family Division.

In Bergen County, the Superior Court’s Family Division handles divorce cases, and the Superior Court’s Clerk’s Office maintains Bergen County family court divorce filings. Individuals seeking access to Bergen County superior court records should contact the Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office at:

The Bergen County Justice Center

10 Main Street,

Hackensack,

New Jersey 07601

Phone: (201) 221-0700.

Online Access to Bergen County Divorce Records

The Bergen County Superior Court Clerk’s Office does not have an online portal for accessing case records. To find Bergen County divorce records online, information seekers should log in to the New Jersey Courts Electronic Access to Court Records Portal. This search portal, through its Family Automated Case Tracking System, allows subscribers to access New Jersey family court records (including Bergen County divorce records) by:

Case names
Docket numbers
Judgment numbers (if available).

Through its Family Automated Case Tracking System, the Electronic Access to Court Records Portal provides real-time access to information such as:

Lists of trial documents
Court orders
Scheduled proceedings
Motions dispositions
Names and status of the litigants
Names of the trial attorneys.

Information seekers can also access Bergen County divorce records using third-party online resources. Private websites such as Newjerseycourtrecords.us provide access to documents and information from various courts across New Jersey. Some third-party online repositories may offer free online divorce lookup for Bergen County marriage dissolutions. Nonetheless, users of these platforms need to be cautious of errors and should verify their documents and information from official sources.

What’s Typically Included in a Bergen County Divorce Record

Bergen County public divorce records contain basic information relating to the dissolution of marriages. These include non-confidential information, such as:

Final judgments
Case dockets
Court filings
Names of the divorced parties
Type of divorce
Court name and location.

Although Bergen County divorce records are generally public, requesters should note that there are restrictions on public access to sensitive information, such as:

Child custody arrangement
Financial settlement
Personal affidavits
Minor children
Social Security Numbers
Abuse claims.

Bergen County Divorce Record Information	Available to the Public
Names of spouses	Yes
Date of divorce	Yes
Case number	Yes
Custody arrangement	No
Financial arrangements	No
Social Security Number	No
Abuse claims	No

How to Get Certified Copies of Bergen County Divorce Records

In Bergen County and other parts of New Jersey, the Superior Court Clerk’s Office is the custodian of divorce records. Access to copies of Bergen County divorce records is through the Superior Court’s Clerk’s Office.

To get an official divorce record copy in Bergen County:

Collect information necessary for locating the specific divorce records or speed up the search process, this includes:
Names of both parties in the divorce
Approximate date of divorce
Docket number (if known)
Download a New Jersey Judiciary Records Request Form and complete it with the necessary details.ls
Submit the completed form and make payments through the New Jersey Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) System.

Alternatively, send a written request by mail or in person to the New Jersey Superior Court Clerk’s Office - Records Center at:

25 Market Street, 6th Floor, North Wing,

P.O. Box 971,

Trenton,

NJ 08625

Phone: (609) 421-6100.

Note that access to Bergen County divorce records is restricted to the subject of the documents and their attorneys and requires valid government-issued photo identification documents. Additionally, it costs $25.00 for a certified copy of a Bergen County divorce record, and delivery may take between several business days and a few weeks.

Certified copies of Bergen County divorce records are court-sealed, officially stamped copies of divorce judgments or decrees. A certified copy of a divorce record is proof that the divorce is final. Certified copies of Bergen County divorce records are acceptable for official use. For instance, certified copies of Bergen County divorce records are legally valid documents for:

Remarriage
Legal proceedings
property transfers or estate matters
Name change.

Unlike a certified Bergen divorce decree, informational copies of Bergen County divorce records are plain, uncertified copies or summaries of divorce records. These versions of documents are for personal reference only and are not valid for legal, financial, or government purposes.

Type of Copy	Use Case	Who Can Request	Legally Valid?
Certified Copy	Remarriage Legal proceedings Name change Property transfer	Spouse, attorney, court	Yes
Informational Copy	Genealogical research Background checks Personal reference Family or Financial Planning General info	Anyone (if public)	No

Why People Request Bergen County Divorce Records

There are various reasons for requesting divorce records in Bergen County. A requester may access Bergen County divorce records:

For remarriage
To effect a name change
To update official records
For a legal proceeding
For genealogy and family research.

In addition, employers or background check companies may require Bergen County divorce records to verify an individual’s divorce history.

Bergen County Divorce Records Summary

The table provides the options for accessing Bergen County divorce records.

Custodian	Available Record Type	Access Method	Fees & Notes
New Jersey Superior Court Clerk’s Office (Court Records)	Full case files, judgments	Public Portal / Mail / In person	Certified copy of final judgment of divorce - $25.00 Certified copy of a judgment or order - $15.00 plus $.05 per page Certificate of divorce - $10.00 Plain copies of divorce records - $0.05 per letter-size page
Third-party websites	Aggregated records containing basic information, such as: Party names Case docket numbers Case status Filing dates	Online search	Costs vary, but some platforms may offer free trial periods before subscriptions. While using third-party online resources, note that there is no guarantee of the authenticity of documents.