Services
Divorce Flow Chart
A very useful and simple guide to the process of divorce set out in a very easy to understand flow chart below.
Day 1
- File divorce / dissolution application online (£593 court fee)
28 Days
- From the date of issue of the application, the court will serve the Respondent or both parties (if this is a joint application) by email. If the Applicant wants to deal with service, it is anticipated that service should be undertaken within 28 days from the date of issue of the application, but the rules do not specify the time for service.
14 Days
- From the date of service of the application the acknowledgement of service is to be filed at court, or
35 Days
- From date of service this is the time to file an answer if there is a dispute
20 Weeks
- (a) From the date of issue of the application, (provided the acknowledgement of service was served within 18 weeks from the date of issue), the Applicant can apply for the conditional order. This really is the interim divorce order.(b) If the acknowledgement of service was served later than 18 weeks from the date of issue of the application, the time to apply is no earlier than 14 days after the acknowledgement of service should have been filed.
6 Weeks
- After the date of the conditional order both parties or one party can apply for the divorce order. If the application is made by one party that party must give 14 days’ notice of their intention to apply. This will bring the marriage to an end.
Urgent Applications
- Urgent applications can only be issued when the issue of divorce application is time critical. This includes when time is critical for jurisdiction or when a freezing injunction is needed.