Divorce FAQs

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Every divorce is different however here at Divorce Now, we are confident we can get your No Fault Divorce finalised in 7-8 months which is half the time of the national average divorce.

In England & Wales, to get a divorce, you must have been married for at least a year, you or your spouse must permanently live in England & Wales, your marriage must be legally recognised in the UK and your marriage must have irretrievably broken down.

From 6 April 2022 when the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 came into force, you no longer have to give reasons for the divorce, simply a statement confirming the marriage has irretrievably broken down.

From 6 April 2022, you do not have to give any reasons for the divorce and can start the divorce immediately providing you meet the criteria set out above.

The Court Fee for a divorce  is set by the Courts and is currently £612.  This must be paid when you send your divorce petition to the Divorce Centre.  It can be paid by cheque payable to HM Courts & Tribunals Service or by debit/credit card over the telephone. You may be entitled to a fee reduction if you have savings of less than £4,250 and are on a low income or are on certain benefits and we will assist you with this.

You can still get a divorce however if your marriage certificate is in a different language then you will need to get it translated and certified.

The Court will expect you to make all efforts to find out where they live by making enquiries with family and friends, using social media or even hiring a tracing agent. If you have exhausted all enquiries then we offer a Missing Spouse Divorce Service which includes an application to Court for Dispense of Service.  Please ask for more details of this service.

You can get a certified copy of your marriage certificate by applying online or at your local registry office for a small fee.

A Clean Break Order is advisable as this severs financial ties with your spouse and protects your future assets and finances.  We offer packages to include a Clean Break Order which are suitable for parties who are in agreement and who do not have any assets, finances or liabilities to share.  The Clean Break Order documents must be signed by yourself and your spouse before being filed at Court. Please ask for more information at support@divorce-now.co.uk

You can still get a divorce if you live with your spouse however you must describe your living arrangement so the Court can be satisfied you are not living as a couple.  For example, your sleeping arrangements, financial arrangements and household chores.  

On 6 April 2022, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 came into force which drastically reformed the divorce process to remove the concept of fault so there is no longer a "divorce blame game".  You no longer have to give reasons for the divorce such as adultery, unreasonable behaviour, 2 years' separation with consent or 5 years' separation.  You simply must state the marriage has irretrievably broken down.  This simplifies the divorce process and makes it easier to keep the divorce amicable.

The key changes that came into force on 6 April 2022 are:

• Divorce can be granted without blame
• Removal of the possibility of contesting the divorce
• Option for a joint application
• Language is in plain English - eg Decree Nisi is now the Conditional Order , Decree Absolute is the Final Order
• A 20 week cooling off period from the start of the process to the application for Conditional Order and a further 6 weeks between the Conditional Order and Final Order means a divorce cannot not be able to finalised in less than 6 months.