Honolulu County Marriage and Divorce Records

DOH Marriage Licenses for Honolulu County

Marriage licenses and certified marriage certificates are a state Department of Health vital records function. The DOH Office of Health Status Monitoring handles vital records at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, Honolulu, HI 96813. The Oʻahu Vital Records office runs Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Appointments are encouraged. The Marriage License Office runs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Parking is metered in front of the DOH building with entry from Punchbowl Street; the official page lists $2 per hour, subject to change.

The DOH marriage and civil union license page covers the application, schedule, fees, and required ID. The application is made through the DOH system and scheduled with a licensed marriage license agent. All marriage performers, officiants, and solemnizers must be licensed by the State of Hawaii before performing a marriage or civil union.

How to Apply for a Honolulu County Marriage License

1. Open the DOH marriage and civil union license page and create an application through the state portal.
2. Schedule with a licensed marriage license agent on Oʻahu.
3. Meet the agent with valid government ID and any prior marriage proof (divorce decree or death certificate) if the prior marriage ended within 30 days of pickup.
4. Pick up the license and plan the ceremony within 30 days; the license expires after the 30-day window.
5. Use a state-licensed officiant for the ceremony and submit the signed license through the agent so DOH can record it.
6. Order certified marriage certificates from DOH if needed for legal, immigration, or insurance use.

Certified marriage certificates are limited to applicants with a direct and tangible interest. Eligibility includes the registrant, the registrant's spouse, a parent, a descendant, a person with a common ancestor, a legal guardian, a person or agency acting on behalf of the registrant, or another legally authorized requester.

The DOH marriage and civil union license page shown below holds the official application path, fees, and scheduling guidance.

The DOH page is the controlling source for Honolulu County marriage license rules and fees.

Honolulu County Marriage License Form Fields

The marriage license application uses the fields below. They follow HRS Chapter 572 on marriage licensing and solemnization.

Honolulu County Divorce Venue and Residency

All divorces in Hawaii are filed in Family Court. For Honolulu County divorce cases, the venue is the First Circuit Family Court at the Kapolei Judiciary Complex, 4675 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, HI 96707-3272. HRS Chapter 580 sets divorce jurisdiction.

Residency requirements for divorce: before filing, either party generally must have been domiciled or physically present in Hawaii continuously for at least six months. The filing party must have been domiciled or present in the circuit for at least three months before filing. A person can file in Hawaii even if the marriage occurred in another state or country, and a spouse can get divorced even if the other spouse does not want the divorce, when one spouse believes the marriage is irretrievably broken.

Honolulu County Divorce Process

The Hawaii Judiciary divorce self-help pages walk filers through the steps. The Honolulu County divorce process below uses Family Court forms posted on the Oʻahu Family Court forms page.

1. Determine venue: First Circuit Family Court for Oʻahu.
2. Download the divorce packet that matches the case (without children or with children).
3. Complete the complaint, summons or automatic restraining order, matrimonial action information, income and expense statement, asset and debt statement, proposed decree, and parenting plan or child support forms if applicable.
4. File with Family Court at Kapolei and pay the filing fee or request a fee waiver.
5. Serve the spouse or obtain a waiver or appearance.
6. If the divorce is uncontested and the forms are complete, submit by affidavit; no court appearance may be required if the judge approves.
7. The Judiciary says uncontested divorce by affidavit usually takes six to ten weeks after packet submission for judge review.
8. The divorce is effective when the judge signs the Divorce Decree and the decree is file-stamped.

The Judiciary divorce self-help materials note that divorce may settle custody, visitation, property division, debt division, child support, spousal support, and temporary orders.

Honolulu County Divorce Records After February 1, 2026

The Hawaii Department of Health no longer maintains divorce records as of February 1, 2026. The DOH notice directs people to the court where the divorce was granted. For Oʻahu, the controlling offices are:

Older sites and forms that still point to DOH for Honolulu County divorce records are out of date. The court that handled the case is now the only source for divorce decree copies.

Payment for Honolulu County Vital Records

For DOH marriage certificates, mail orders accept cashier's checks, certified checks, or money orders payable to the State Department of Health. In-person orders accept cash, credit card, cashier's check, certified check, or money order. DOH warns that under- or overpayment may be returned.

For Honolulu County divorce records pulled from the Judiciary, payment follows the court's record copy schedule. Regular file-stamped copies through eCourt Kōkua cost $3 per document for 1-30 pages with $0.10 per page beyond 30. Certified electronic copies add $2 per document.

Searching Honolulu County Divorce Cases in eCourt Kōkua

Family Court divorce cases use the case-type code "FDV." A modern hyphenated example is 1FDV-22-0000001. Many older divorce cases sit under legacy codes converted into the 12-character JIMS/JEFS format. Family Court files often have heightened confidentiality. Some dockets show, but the underlying documents may be sealed or restricted.

1. Open eCourt Kōkua and accept the disclaimer.
2. Use Party Search by last and first name; phonetic search helps with spelling variations.
3. Open the FDV case from the result list.
4. Review the Dockets tab for the decree filing and the Events tab for hearings.
5. For a certified divorce decree copy, contact the appropriate Legal Documents Branch using the addresses above.

Related Honolulu County Pages

The family court page covers custody, support, juvenile, and protective orders. The probate records page covers estate and guardianship matters. The public records page covers DOH and HPD records under UIPA. The Clerk of Court page covers each Legal Documents Branch counter, including the divorce record offices above.