DE · rules
Del. Fam. Ct. Civ. R. 44
Proof of official records
(a) Authentication.
(1) Domestic. An official record kept within the United States, or any state, district or
commonwealth, or within a territory subject to the administrative or judicial jurisdiction
of the United States, or an entry therein, when admissible for any purpose, may be
evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy attested by the officer having
the legal custody of the record, or by the officer’s deputy, and accompanied by a
certificate that such officer has the custody. The certificate may be made by a judge of a
court of record of the district or political subdivision in which the record is kept,
authenticated by the seal of the court, or may be made by any public officer having a seal
of office and having official duties in the district or political subdivision in which the
record is kept, authenticated by the seal of the officer’s office.
(2) Foreign. A foreign official record, or an entry therein, when admissible for any purpose,
may be evidenced by an official publication thereof; or a copy thereof, attested by a
person authorized to make the attestation, and accompanied by a final certification as to
the genuineness of the signature and official position (i) of the attesting person, or (ii) of
any foreign official whose certificate of genuineness of signature and official position
relates to the attestation or is in a chain of certificates of genuineness of signature and
official position relating to the attestation. A final certification may be made by a
secretary of embassy or legation, consul general, vice consul, or consular agent of the
United States, or a diplomatic or consular official of the foreign country assigned or
accredited to the United States. If reasonable opportunity has been given to all parties to
investigate the authenticity and accuracy of the documents, the Court may, for good
cause shown, (i) admit an attested copy without final certification or (ii) permit the
foreign official record to be evidenced by an attested summary with or without a final
certification. The final certification is unnecessary if the record and the attestation are
certified as provided in a treaty or convention to which the United States and the foreign
country in which the official record is located are parties.
(b) Lack of record. A written statement that after diligent search no record or entry of a specified
tenor is found to exist in the records, designated by the statement, authenticated as provided
in subdivision (a)(1) of this Rule in the case of a domestic record, or complying with the
requirements of subdivision (a)(2) of this Rule for a summary in the case of a foreign record,
is admissible as evidence that the records contain no such record or entry.
(c) Other proof. This Rule does not prevent the proof of official records or of entry or lack of
entry therein by any other method authorized by law.
History
Amended, effective Sept. 3, 1996.
Provenance
- Source
- courts.delaware.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-23
- Edition
- 2026-09-23
- Content hash
22439e66066e6117e225139d87a1f323e6e2ce1c674371879c27acbeadafc4fe
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