How to Find Divorce Records in Ontario

Whether you need proof of a past divorce for a remarriage application, an immigration file, an estate matter, or your own peace of mind, the search usually starts with the same wrong assumption: that there's one central government website where you can look up any Canadian divorce. There isn't. Here's where Ontario divorce records actually live, and how to request one properly.

Divorce Records Are Court Records, Not a Public Database

A divorce is granted by a specific courthouse of the Superior Court of Justice, and the record of that divorce — the application, the order, and the judgment — is held in the file of the court that granted it. Unlike a birth or marriage certificate, which is issued through a province's vital statistics registry, there's no single vital-statistics-style office that issues Ontario divorce certificates on demand.

The federal government does maintain a Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings, but its core function is to help courts confirm that no duplicate divorce proceeding is underway somewhere else in Canada before a divorce is granted — it isn't designed as a public lookup tool for people trying to locate their own or someone else's finalized divorce. If you need an actual copy of a divorce order or judgment, the reliable path is the courthouse file itself, not a general search.

Where to Start Looking

If you genuinely can't narrow down the courthouse, think through where you were living, where the divorce lawyer's office (if any) was located, and roughly when the order was granted. Family court files are organized regionally, so this context matters more than any single search box.

What You'll Typically Need to Request a Copy

• Full legal names of both spouses at the time of the divorce (including any name later changed)
• The approximate date the divorce was granted, or at least the year
• The courthouse location, if known
• Some form of identification confirming you're a party to the file (or a legitimate reason for the request, such as a legal proceeding requiring proof)
• Be prepared for a copy fee — amounts vary by court and request type, so confirm the current fee directly with the courthouse before assuming a cost

Common Mistakes People Make

• Assuming a "national divorce registry" search will produce documents. The Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings exists to prevent duplicate proceedings, not to hand out public copies of divorce orders.
• Contacting vital statistics instead of the court. Ontario's vital statistics registry handles births, deaths, and marriages — not divorce judgments.
• Guessing the wrong courthouse. If your ex-spouse moved or the marriage crossed regions, the file may be at a courthouse you didn't expect.
• Assuming your marriage certificate and your divorce order are held in the same place. They're entirely separate records held by entirely different offices.

Frequently asked questions