(a) A certificate of each divorce or annulment granted by any court in this state shall be filed by the clerk of the court with the vital statistics unit and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this chapter. The certificate shall be prepared by the petitioner or the petitioner’s legal representative on a form furnished by the state registrar and shall be presented to the clerk of the court with the petition. In all cases the completed certificate shall be prerequisite to the granting of the final decree. No certificate shall be deemed complete until every item of information required shall have been provided or its omission satisfactorily accounted for.
(b)  Immediately after the decree becomes final, the certificate shall be forwarded by the clerk to the state registrar on the 15th day of the calendar month next succeeding.