Lifestyle

The 7 Steps for Divorce in the UK

The 7 Steps for Divorce in the UK

The latest figures in December 2019 released by the Office of National Statistics showed that 90,871 couples of the opposite sex divorced in 2018. Though this number has fallen since 2017, plenty of couples are still undoing their “I do”.

You made your vows to each other once upon a time but it just hasn’t worked out. While divorces can feel like a sad and daunting time, they don’t need to be.

With a bit of preparation, the process can go surprisingly smoothly, especially if you’re both amicable.

In order to qualify for a legal divorce you need to have been married for a minimum of 12 months.

If you’ve been married less than 12 months, then you are only allowed to organise a draft of your divorce petition so it’s ready to send, but you can’t actually send it on until your first year anniversary.

The process of divorce has changed greatly over the years and to help you prepare and organise yourself, for what may be one of the toughest experiences of your life, we have outlined some key steps involved in divorce.

Prepare for It on an Emotional Level

Couples that are prepared for divorce often experience a more amicable and quicker process. It may not be a problem for you if you are the one divorcing your partner.

However, if you are the one being divorced, you will need to acclimatise to the news and change to your life.

Negotiations will be dealt with quicker and more effectively if you control your feelings and approach it as you would a business deal.

If it is you that is starting the proceedings, it’s important that you don’t push pressure on your partner to rush through it.

You both need to take time to prepare for it emotionally and get the support and even coaching you need.

Coming to an Agreement About Finances and Children

The part that takes the longest to complete is making arrangements and decisions about finances and children.

If there are agreements in place, things can speed along nicely. If, on the other hand, you haven’t, you will need to list all your finances down and come to an arrangement about what you plan to do with any shared assets you have.

It is this point in the process you need to come to an agreement about your children, how you are both going to parent them and where they are going to live.

File and Send Divorce Petition

Are you the one actioning the divorce? You need to first file the divorce petition through the court. You can now also start the process of divorce online. Once you have done this, the court will issue the divorce petition papers to your spouse and they then have to complete the Acknowledgement of Service form and send it back to the court. Following receipt of this, the court will issue you with a case number.

Apply for a Decree Nisi

It is up to the judge to decide whether a marriage can be considered as irretrievable. If satisfied that the marriage can’t be saved, the pronouncement of your Decree Nisi will follow soon after and both you and your spouse will receive your Decree Nisi through the post.

File a Consent Order (Done at the Same Time as Decree Nisi Application)

Along with the above step you have the choice to file consent orders with divorce paperwork.

When you have an official consent order, any agreements you make between you are legally binding and are therefore the best way to clear things between you completely and stop your partner from making any further claims.

Decree Absolute Application

After six weeks and a day has passed since your Nisi was pronounced, you are able to submit a Decree Absolute application, the final document you need to be officially divorced.

Divorce Becomes Final

Once the process has been finalised and you are officially divorced, you will receive your Decree Absolute.

The minimum timeline for all of this taking place is around 16 weeks. Some services online have popped up preying on people’s desperation for a quick divorce and offer things as fast as an 8-12 week divorce.

The legal divorce process in the UK literally does not move that quickly, so caution should be exercised if you ever come across a company offering these “quick” divorces.

These are the steps you can expect to take during your divorce. Knowing what’s ahead will hopefully make the process less daunting and allow you to move on with your life and be happy once it’s over.

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