Divorce

While divorce laws vary by state, here are the basic steps:

• First, you must meet the state’s residency requirements where you wish to file.
• Second, you must have “grounds,” meaning a legally acceptable reason to end your marriage.
• Third, you must file divorce papers and send copies to your spouse. (To learn more about filing a summons, preparing a petition, and service of process, go to the Starting the Court Case page in our Preparing for Court - By Yourself section.)
• Fourth, if your spouse disagrees with anything in the divorce papers, s/he will have the opportunity to file papers telling his side. This is called “contesting the divorce.” In this case, you will have to attend a series of court appearances to sort the issues out. If your spouse agrees with your divorce papers, s/he should sign them and send them back to you or the court. This is called an “uncontested divorce.” If a certain period of time passes and your spouse does not sign the papers or file any papers of his/her own, you may be able to proceed with the divorce as an uncontested divorce anyway. You should speak to a lawyer in your state about how long you have to wait to see if your spouse answers the divorce papers before you can continue with the divorce.
• Fifth, if there is property that you need to be divided, or if you need financial support from your spouse, you will have to work that out in an out-of-court settlement or a series of court hearings. Custody may also be decided as part of your divorce.

You can find more information about service of process in our Preparing for Court – By Yourself section, in the question called What is service of process and how do I accomplish it?