When a marriage breaks down the next step is for the parties to take legal action to dissolve the marriage. We know this is a big step with significant repercussions for the family unit. A common question we get asked is how long does it take to get a divorce? In short, the answer is to how long it takes to get divorced is around 4-6 months if everything goes smoothly. Every case and court is different and we work on a time scale of around 6 months with you from instructing us to getting the final divorce document. Be aware though, it can take up to 12 months. Remember you do have to be married for 12 months before you can start divorce proceedings in the first place. If you have been married for less than 12 months, then you will have to wait.
There is no such thing as a “quickie divorce”. All divorce procedures follow the same format and it depends on the circumstances of the divorce and the speed of the court where the divorce is being issued. If someone tells you to go for a “quickie divorce” then contact us as we will always move as
fast as we can to help you with the minimum amount of stress.
Between the Decree Nisi (first stage of the divorce) and Decree Absolute (the divorce certificate) you will have to wait for 6 weeks. There is nothing you can do about that. This waiting period does slow down the process but it also gives you a chance to withdraw your petition if you change your mind.
There is no way to speed the divorce process up further but there are ways to not slow it down. I encourage clients to try and agree as much as possible with their ex beforehand. If you are in a position to discuss it with your ex then this saves a lot of time. You could let them know that you are seeing a solicitor to get the ball rolling and suggest they do the same. However, if you cannot reach an agreement then we can do the negotiation and settlement on your behalf.
Unfortunately, the concept of fault divorce causes a lot of frustration for parties. It is an old-fashioned concept and one thankfully there is talk of abolishing. At present, you will have to choose one of the 5 grounds that there are for divorce when completing the divorce petition. We can guide you on these but most of our clients choose either the ground of “unreasonable behaviour” or “2 years separation with consent”. If both parties reply to letters and provide documents promptly that will also speed up the procedure.
Most people will approach a solicitor when they are finally ready to get divorced. The road before then has often been a stressful one. The last thing clients want is added stress. We will be as quick as you want us to be in trying to get the marriage ended. We will also guide you to try and get the divorce done as quickly as possible.
We offer a fixed fee divorce service with an initial free appointment.
