Craven County NC Divorce Records

The divorce judgment comes from the clerk, not the Register of Deeds

For a divorce granted in Craven County, request the judgment from the Clerk of Superior Court. Craven’s Register of Deeds explicitly says it does not hold divorce decrees and links the North Carolina Judicial Branch Portal and clerk contact. A later move to Craven does not change which county holds a divorce granted elsewhere.

The clerk’s telephone is 252-639-3000. The courthouse is at 302 Broad Street, New Bern, NC 28560, with published weekday hours of 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Its mailing address is Craven County Courthouse, PO Box 1187, New Bern, NC 28563. Call the clerk to confirm the appropriate civil-records counter and current mail-copy arrangements before sending a request.

Find the case and identify the final judgment

Follow the Portal search link on Craven’s Divorce Decrees page. Search with a known case number or the spouses’ names used at filing, and retain the court, file number and judgment date. If the search does not locate the case, provide the clerk both names, former names and an approximate year. North Carolina also offers public self-service terminals at clerk offices and access to the file in the county where it is held.

Ask for the final divorce judgment or Order of Absolute Divorce. Craven’s marriage-license guidance says a separation agreement, settlement agreement or petition is not the decree: the operative document is signed by a judge and states that the marriage has ended. Property, support or custody terms may be in a separate order, so do not assume the first divorce-related paper is the final judgment.

Request the exact copy and budget by document

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  Give the case number, both parties’ filing names, approximate judgment date and your return contact information.
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  Name the final judgment and any later amended order required; say whether each copy needs certification.
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  Ask the receiving office whether it wants the court judgment or a state divorce certificate before ordering.

North Carolina’s 2026 miscellaneous court-fee chart lists preparation of copies at $2 for the first page of each document and $0.25 for each additional page or fraction; a certificate under seal is $3. Ask the clerk to calculate your actual total, including the number of documents and certifications, and confirm payment and delivery instructions. Do not confuse these court-copy charges with a Register of Deeds marriage-certificate price.

A Portal case listing does not guarantee remote access to every filing. If the judgment is unavailable online, ask the holding clerk about inspection, a paper or archived copy, or any applicable access restriction. No Craven copy-processing deadline is published in the cited local pages, so confirm timing before relying on mailed delivery for an upcoming appointment.

A state divorce certificate is a different product

North Carolina Vital Records holds divorce certificates from 1958 onward. The certificate summarizes information such as the spouses and marriage or separation details; the clerk remains the source for underlying case documents. If a recipient asks for the judgment that dissolved the marriage, order that judgment instead of assuming a certificate supplies its complete text.

The state certificate search costs $24 per three-year search period, includes one copy if found and is nonrefundable even when no record is located. Processing and shipping fees can apply. The state ordering page offers a divorce-certificate application, online or telephone ordering and appointment information; mailed certificate orders follow its current VitalChek payment and address instructions. Review that route’s final total rather than sending the court-copy fee to the state office.

Check eligibility, deadlines and corrections before using the record

For a certified vital-record certificate, North Carolina requires identity and eligibility evidence. Eligible categories include the person named, a spouse or specified relatives, someone determining personal or property rights, and an authorized representative. Informational uncertified certificates are generally available subject to legal restrictions, but are not accepted for legal purposes. These are Vital Records certificate rules, not a blanket rule restricting every public court divorce file.

Provide both spouses’ names, divorce date and county when ordering the state certificate. Check the state’s current processing-date link for the chosen method; postal transit is additional. For a local judgment request, ask Craven’s clerk directly about availability and delivery. Match the returned parties, case number and date before presenting either product to another office.

If the divorce certificate needs correction, Vital Records directs you to the clerk in the county where the divorce was filed; the state office does not make those changes itself. Identify the exact discrepancy and keep the supporting judgment. If the problem is which order actually dissolved the marriage, ask the clerk for the final or amended court order rather than editing a copy yourself.