WHERE TO GET SOME IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
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DIVORCE OR SEPARATION PAPERS

These can be obtained form the COUNTY CLERK in the county where the divorce or separation was granted or where a separation agreement was filed. In Erie County, NY the County Clerk's office is at 25 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo. Call the clerk's office at 858-8785 to learn the current fee for a copy of a divorce judgment. Only the parties to the divorce or the attorneys who represented them in the divorce action can obtain copies of the divorce judgment.

If the divorce or separation was granted in New York State, but you do not know which county it was in, write to:

Certification Unit
Vital Records Section
New York State Department of Health
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602

Send a money order or certified check for the fee. The current fee is $30.00. That fee is subject to change, so call the Bureau of Vital Records to learn the current fee before you send the money order.

Your letter to the Bureau of Vital Records should be typed or printed. In your letter, give the following facts:

1. Full names of husband and wife;
2. Your present address;
3. Addresses of husband & wife at time of divorce;
4. Dates of birth of husband & wife or ages at time of divorce;

In addition, provide any information you have about the date and place of divorce or separation.

If the divorce or separation was granted in a state other than New York State, call the long-distance information operator at 1-(area code of other state)-555-1212 and ask for the phone number and address of the state's Bureau of Vital Statistics. The state office of vital statistics should tell you how to obtain records in that state and the current fee.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES OR DEATH CERTIFICATES

     Birth and Death Certificates should be on file in the town or city where the birth or death happened. If the birth or death happened in Buffalo, you can get a copy of the birth or death certificate at the Buffalo City Hall.

    These records are also filed in the central vital statistics office of the state. For New York State, except New York City, the address is as shown for divorce records. For New York City, the address is Bureau of Vital Records, Department of Health of New York City, 125 Worth Street, New York, New York 10013.

For other states, call the long-distance information operator for the phone number and address of the state's Bureau of Vital

Statistics.

When you write for a copy of a birth or death certificate, enclose a money order to pay for the fee for a certified copy. Your letter should include the following facts:

1. Full name of the person whose record is being requested;

2. That person's sex and race;

3. That person's parents' names, including mother's maiden name;

4. Month, day and year of the birth or death;

5. Place of birth or death (city or town, county, and State; and name of hospital, if any);

6. Purpose for which copy is needed;

7. Your relationship to person whose record is being requested.

MARRIAGE RECORDS

You are only entitled to your own marriage records. Marriage records are kept in the town or city where the marriage was performed. In Buffalo, the marriage records are in the City Hall, Niagara Square.

For other locations in New York State, write to

Bureau of Vital Records
State Department of Health
New York State Department of Health
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602

To obtain copies of these records on line through the internet follow this link

For other states, contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics as explained above.

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