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Home > Guides > Faxing a divorce decree
Yes, you can fax a divorce decree, but a faxed copy is almost never a substitute for the certified original. Courts, banks, and government offices that need proof of divorce usually demand a certified copy with the court seal, and many will reject a fax outright. Keep the certified original safe, and fax only a plain copy when the recipient says a copy will do.
This is general information, not legal advice.
A certified copy is a copy the court clerk stamps and seals to confirm it matches the decree on file. That seal is the whole point: it lets a stranger trust the document without calling the court. A fax destroys the seal. It arrives as flat black-and-white pages with no raised stamp, no embossing, and no way for the reader to tell it from a copy anyone could have typed up. That is why institutions that need real proof will not take one.
The distinction matters most when the decree changes something official: a name change, a property title, a pension split, or a remarriage licence. In each of those cases the office handling the change needs certainty, and a fax cannot give it.
| Recipient | What they usually accept |
|---|---|
| Your lawyer or accountant, for their file | A faxed plain copy is usually fine |
| Bank or mortgage lender updating a file | Often a faxed copy for review, certified copy for the final file |
| Land registry or property title office | Certified copy, almost always |
| Government office issuing a new licence or passport | Certified copy, almost always |
| Another court, for a later case | Certified copy |
Faxing works when the recipient only needs to read the decree, not to rely on it as proof. A lawyer reviewing your settlement terms, an accountant checking support payments, or a mediator preparing for a session can all work from a faxed copy. In those cases, faxing saves days compared with mailing, and nobody's rights turn on the copy's authenticity.
It also works as a preview. If a bank or agency needs a certified copy, faxing a plain copy first lets them check they have the right document and the right case number before you order or mail the certified version. Call first and ask whether a fax preview will speed things up, since some offices will start a file from the fax and hold it pending the certified copy.
Order it from the clerk of the court that granted the divorce, in the county or district where the case was filed. You will need the case number and the names of both parties, and the clerk will charge a small fee per copy. Some courts let you order by mail or online; others require a visit or a written request. Order more than one copy if several offices will need one, since each office that keeps a copy for its file will not return it.
Store the certified originals somewhere safe and dry, and never hand your only certified copy to an office that will keep it. If an office insists on keeping one, give them a fresh certified copy from the clerk, not your last one. Replacing a lost certified copy means another trip to the clerk and another fee, and in older cases it can mean waiting while the clerk pulls archived files.
First, confirm the recipient actually wants a fax and has a working fax number: many offices dropped their fax lines years ago and will not notice pages arriving at an old number. Second, think about privacy. A decree contains full names, birth dates, financial terms, and sometimes details about children. Fax it only to a number you have verified, from a private machine, and avoid shared office machines where pages sit in a tray. Third, number the pages on a cover sheet so a missing page is obvious, since decrees run long and a dropped page in the middle can change the meaning of a property or support clause.
A note on LetterAgent: fax sending is currently in testing, so it is available in testing rather than as a guaranteed same-day service. Faxes go to US and Canadian numbers only, and there are no inbound faxes. You describe the fax to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted total, and pay once before it is sent.
Ready to fax it? Fax with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is sent.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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