Verification letters are not considered legal substitutes for marriage licenses or divorce decrees. It is strongly recommended that you make sure a verification letter will satisfy your intended use before ordering.
Certified copies of marriage licenses or divorce decrees are only available from the county clerk (marriage) or district clerk (divorce) in the county or district in which it was obtained.
Indexes (lists) of marriage or divorce records by year may be purchased or downloaded for free from our website.
The Texas Vital Statistics provides letters verifying whether or not a marriage or divorce was recorded with the State of Texas based on the application for marriage or divorce sent to our office by the county clerk or district clerk. If no record of a marriage is found, the verification letter itself can be considered a "single-status letter," which some foreign countries accept as legal proof of single status.
Verification letters of marriage are available for marriages that occurred from 1966 to the present.
Verification letters of divorce are available for divorces that occurred from 1968 to the present.
Ordering marriage verification or divorce verification letters through Texas.gov
 For fast, affordable service, order marriage verification or divorce verification letters through Texas.gov, the official eGovernment site for the State of Texas. The current estimated processing time for Texas.gov orders is 10-15 business days.
Anyone who orders from Texas.gov must:
- be ordering a record that is to be delivered within the United States, to U.S. territories or U.S. commonwealths, or to U.S. military addresses (APO, FPO).
- have a valid credit card.
If you do not meet these criteria, you cannot use Texas.gov, but you can make the request by following the instructions below.
Go to Texas.gov
|
Offline Instructions for Ordering a Marriage or Divorce Verification
Obtain and fill out an application for a marriage or divorce verification letter. You can either download one or pick one up in person. See the table below for details.
Send in the application with the correct fee ($20 per verification). The fee for a verification is non-refundable and non-transferable, even if a record is not found.
Send in the completed application with payment using one of the methods listed in the table below. The following are acceptable forms of ID:
US Government Issued driver's license
US Government Issued State/city/county ID card
Student ID
Government employment badge or card
Prison ID
US Military ID
If you do not have a photo ID, you can instead send a copy of the photo ID of an immediate family member, or you can send copies of two documents showing your name, such as a utility bill and your Social Security card. One of the documents must have your signature.
We will not be able to process applications if the application is received without a photo ID or the alternate IDs listed above.
The processing times in the table below are estimates. Please make checks or money orders payable to DSHS.
Offline Application Methods
| Offline application methods |
Instructions |
Cost |
Payment methods accepted |
Processing time for most requests |
| In person at the Texas Vital Statistics Office (VSU) in Austin |
Come to our office at
1100 W. 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756
Monday-Friday
8 am - 5 pm |
$20 per verification |
Cash
Check
Money order
|
A half-hour to 2 hours. If longer is needed, you will be given a pickup time for 3:30 that afternoon or 10:30 the following morning. |
If you cannot order online, we offer an Offline Expedited Service
Orders must be sent to Texas Vital Statistics via an overnight mail service, such as Fedex, Lone Star, UPS, etc. Do not send via USPS Priority Mail.
|
Expedited Application - DOC
Expedited Application-PDF
|
$20 per verification
+ $5 expedited processing fee
+ return delivery cost of $8 for Lonestar or $19.95 express mail*
|
Check
Money order
|
10-15 business days from the date received
Please note: this estimate applies only to complete and acceptable applications. Incomplete or unacceptable applications will require additional processing time |
U.S. Postal Service regular mail
Orders may be sent via mail and paid with a credit card, check or money order |
Application–pdf (28K) |
$20 per verification |
Check
Money order |
6-8 weeks |
Click here for information on viewing files.
External links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to people with disabilities.