How long will my divorce take?
The divorce process will take a total of 26 weeks, or 6 months to complete. There are three stages in the process;
· Submitting your divorce application to the Court
· Applying for a Conditional Order 20 weeks after submitting your application
· Applying for a Final Order 6 weeks after being granted a conditional order
How much will my divorce cost?
The cost of making a divorce application is £593.00. It is normally your responsibility to pay the Court fee, however if you believe your partner should have the responsibility of paying the fee, this can be put to the Court when making your application.
Can I apply for a divorce?
You can make an application for a divorce order after one year of marriage. You can apply if you meet one of the following criteria;
· You or your partner live in England or Wales;
· You and your partner used to live in England or Wales, and one or both of you continue to reside there;
· Your partner lives in England or Wales
· You live in England or Wales and have lived there for at least one year before making an application for a divorce order
· You live, and your permanent home is based in England or Wales, and you have resides there for at least 6 months prior to making an application
· You and/or your partner have a permanent home in England or Wales
How can I make the application?
You can make the application by yourself or alternatively you can make a joint application with your partner. You can both share the same legal representative, or seek separate representation if you wish to do so.
You will need to provide a statement explaining that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, either by yourself or jointly with your partner.
If you wish to make an application by yourself, you don’t need to worry about your partner disputing the contents of your application. It is no longer possible for your partner to contest a divorce application.
How can I apply for a Conditional Order?
Once an application has been made, you will have to wait 20 weeks from the date the Court acknowledges your application.
This period has been introduced to allow you and your partner to arrange your finances and organize any arrangements you need to make.
At the end of the 20 week period, if you still want the divorce to proceed, the Court will make a conditional order which recognises the marriage has broken down irretrievably. You cannot apply for a Final Order until a Conditional Order has been made.
How can I apply for a Final Order?
There is a further 6 week period once the conditional order has been granted, at this stage you can apply for a final divorce order.
If the Court is satisfied that the divorce should go ahead, the Court will present you with a legal document which will bring the marriage to an end.
For any further information, call our expert family team 01554 749144 or email James.T@dpalaw.co.uk
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