DIY Legal Divorce
- 1). Look up the divorce laws for your state to be sure that you meet residency requirements. For example, you must have lived in Virginia for six months to file for divorce there, but Connecticut requires 12 months of residency before you can be divorced in that state.
- 2). Decide what grounds you wish to file under. You will have to give a reason for your divorce (either fault or no-fault). Each state has its own guidelines for how long you and your spouse have to have lived apart to qualify for a no-fault divorce. Each state also has guidelines about which reasons, i.e., adultery, habitual intemperance, abandonment or cruelty, qualify for a fault divorce.
- 3). Contact the county clerk in the county where you wish to file for divorce. Ask her for a Complaint for Dissolution of Marriage form. You may also have to fill out other forms, depending on your state. After you fill out all your paperwork and file it with the county clerk, mail the papers to your spouse via first class mail. Get a Certificate of Mailing form from the post office at that time.
- 4). Attend the court date after the court notifies you of it. If your spouse protests, present evidence of the grounds you are filing under. A separate lease should work for a no-fault divorce. You may need witnesses to confirm adultery, cruelty or other at-fault divorce grounds.
- 5). Sign the paperwork after the divorce is granted.
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