What Is a VS-4 Form and Why Is it Needed?

By Ann Drake, Paralegal / Legal Assistant

During the course of filing a divorce action, at the initial consultation, the client is asked to provide the attorney with certain personal information such as their place of birth, date of birth, number of times they have been married, level of education completed, date and place of marriage, date of separation, number of minor children of the marriage, the grounds for divorce, as well as the current residence address of each party. This information is then entered into a VS-4 form required by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Once completed, the VS-4 form is endorsed either by the party filing for divorce or that party’s attorney. It is then filed with the Clerk of the Court in the county in which the divorce is filed, along with the Complaint for Divorce. Upon entry of a Final Order of Divorce, the Clerk of the Court will certify the form and forward it to the State Registrar by the 10^th day of the month following the day the Final Order is granted.

This form is used as a report of divorce or annulment for the Department of Health-Division of Vital Records in Richmond, Virginia. The information contained in this form is used for statistical purposes by the State. No Final Order of Divorce will be entered by the Court without a completed VS-4 form.