A divorce is the process of terminating a marriage by a court. Since the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 has come into place you can now get a divorce if you have been married for over a year, your marriage has broken down and your marriage is legally recognized in the UK.
The Divorce Process
Before applying for a divorce, you have to consider whether you wish to make a joint or sole application.
Joint application- when both partners agree to get a divorce (not applicable in instances of domestic violence)
Sole application- when one partner issues proceedings, the court will then send the relevant information to the other spouse or their legal representative
You can begin divorce proceedings yourself or you can instruct a solicitor to begin the proceedings for you. It will cost £539 to make an application for divorce with the courts and then further fees if you require a solicitors help.
Once your application has gone through you and your partner will both be sent notice of the divorce proceedings. You and your partner will then have to wait a 20 week period of time in case there are changes of thought and you wish to remain with you partner, this is known as a 'reflection period'.
After this you will then be able to apply for a decree nisi or a conditional order. The court will grant this order if they do not see any reason for the couple not to divorce. One approved, the court will provide a certificate of the Conditional Order. Once this has been granted you will have to wait 6 Weeks before applying for the decree absolute or final order which finalises your divorce.
If you have any further enquires about divorce proceedings, speak to our team and we will be happy to help.