Getting a Divorce and Using the Internet to Your Advantage

On realising that you have reached the stage in your marriage where there is no other option than to separate, getting the right help and assistance with a divorce is imperative to ensure that you can move on with your life as swiftly as possible. 

Requirements For A Divorce
There are certain requirements that are necessary before you can commence divorce proceedings. The first and main one is that if you are asking for a court in England or Wales to process your divorce you will need to have been married for a minimum of one year. The only times this may not be a requirement are when the grounds for divorce are bigamy (where the respondent was already married at the time of your marriage ceremony) and nullity (where the marriage has not been consummated). These situations are rare, but if they apply to your situation then it is important that you seek specific legal advice from an experienced family lawyer.

You will also need to be domiciled within England and Wales to be divorced under English law. If you do not live in the UK, you will need to provide an address within the United Kingdom where your papers can be sent and state where you live if it is not in the United Kingdom. The first step of the divorce is to file a divorce petition. This has to be provided in duplicate and you will need to provide the court with a certified copy of your marriage certificate. If you do not have a copy of it, you should obtain one as soon as possible. This can usually be done at the register office that covers the jurisdiction for the area you were married in. There is usually a fee for this. If there are children of the marriage who are under age 18 then you will have to prepare what is called a statement of arrangements to accompany the divorce petition. This also has to be provided to the court in duplicate and can be quite lengthy. It covers where the children usually reside, what school they attend (if applicable) and how much time (if any) they spend with each parent and the addresses at which this takes place. There is also the opportunity to state if there are to be any changes to these arrangements after the divorce is finalised. If the matters are more complex, you could look at solicitors online to assist you with this aspect. 

If both parents are in agreement with the contents of the statement of arrangements they can both sign this before it is submitted to the courts. This can be a huge advantage further into the divorce when the judge is ready to consider granting the decree nisi. If the court can see that the arrangements are satisfactory, there should be minimal delays. The more aspects of the arrangements following a divorce that can be agreed amicably, prior to going to court, the quicker a divorce is likely to be finalised. For cases where this is not a possibility then it may be worth looking at solicitors online to assist you.

AUTHOR BIO: Sharon McQueen writes articles on family law and provides legal content to many online legal websites such as Dutton Gregory.