A step-by-step guide to getting a divorce Prentice Family Law Somet imes , marr iages can break down, and th is can be a very emot ional and st ress fu l t ime for both part ies . Gett ing a d ivorce can e i ther be a very s imple process or a very long and dist ress ing one , i t a l l depends on the state of your re lat ionship . I f you and your partner are both stay ing ca lm and col lected and have had an amicable spl i t , the divorce wi l l be eas ier . On the other hand, i f you have had a tox ic re lat ionship and/or a messy break-up , the d ivorce process can be a lot harder . No matter how s imple or hard your d ivorce i s , i t i s a lways benef ic ia l to get help and legal adv ice f rom divorce so l ic i tors in Gui ldford . I f you and your partner have eas i ly come to an agreement , your divorce so l ic i tor in Gui ldford wi l l be able to draf t a divorce sett lement to send for approval . I f you and your ex-partner are hav ing a more d i f f icu l t t ime coming to an agreement , your d ivorce so l ic i tor in Gui ldford wi l l a l so be able to represent you and your case in court i f needed. Getting legal advice and help Before apply ing for a d ivorce , there are 3 main cr i ter ia that your marr iage has to f i t into to be able to go forward . F i rs t ly , in order to get a divorce , you must have been marr ied for over a year . Secondly , you wi l l need to be sure that your re lat ionship has permanent ly broken down. And last ly , your marr iage needs to be legal ly recognised in the UK in order to get a d ivorce . I f you can re late to a l l 3 o f th is cr i ter ia , you wi l l be el ig ib le to get a d ivorce . Check your eligibility Making arrangements Once you know that you are e l ig ib le to apply for a divorce , you should start making ar rangements with your ex-partner about chi ldren , money , property etc . Somet imes , th is can go smoothly and both part ies wi l l be able to come to an agreement about these th ings . But unfortunate ly , in a lot o f cases , people wi l l not be able to agree , and you can get help i f th is i s the case . For example , you could get help f rom a mediator , which your divorce so l ic i tor in Gui ldford can help you f ind , who wi l l s i t down with both of you and t ry to help you reach a dec is ion on your own. You may a lso need to get the courts involved to help you decide/decide for you i f you rea l ly can ’ t come to an agreement . When i t comes to actual ly apply ing for a d ivorce , only one person needs to do i t . You wi l l need yours and your wi fe or husbands fu l l name and address , your marr iage cert i f icate , and proof o f any name changes s ince you ’ve been marr ied . You can e i ther choose to apply onl ine or by a paper appl icat ion , and can get help f rom your d ivorce so l ic i tor in Gui ldford when doing so i f you wish . Th is appl icat ion wi l l be sent to the other party and they wi l l need to respond to i t . Applying for the divorce The next s tep wi l l be apply ing for a decree n is i , a l so known as a condit ional order . Th is i s a document that s tates that the court doesn ’ t see any reason as to why you cannot get a d ivorce . Along with the decree n is i appl icat ion , you wi l l a lso need to f i l l in a s tatement that conf i rms what you sa id in your d ivorce appl icat ion i s t rue , as wel l as attaching a copy of your husband or wi fe ' s response . Your d ivorce so l ic i tor in Gui ldford wi l l he lp you through these s teps . Apply for decree nisi Apply for decree absolute I f a l l goes wel l and you rece ive a decree n is i a f ter you have appl ied for i t , you can f ina l ly move onto the f ina l s tage of the d ivorce , which i s the decree absolute . To apply for th is , you wi l l need to wait at least 43 days f rom when you rece ived your decree nis i . Once these 43 days are over , you wi l l be able to apply for the decree absolute and of f ic ia l ly end your marr iage . https :prent icefami ly law.co .uk/ https :www.c i t izensadvice .org .uk/ fami ly /how-to- separate1 /ways-to-end-your-marr iage https :www. lawdonut .co .uk/personal /d ivorce-and- fami ly- law/divorce-process/stages-of -d ivorce- f rom- appl icat ion-to- f ina l -order Sources :