You spent enough time deciding if you wanted to get divorced. Now that you have made up your mind, you just want to put the process behind you. You want to end your marriage. How quickly can you get divorced?
Where does your spouse stand?
No two divorce cases are the same. It could take you as little as a few months or it could take years. There are requirements that have to be met, but the biggest thing to consider is just where your spouse stands and how they’re going to help you or hold you back.
For instance, if you serve them the divorce papers — after the week or two it takes to get everything drawn up properly — they do get time to respond. If they want, they could take months simply not responding, and the case can’t move forward until they do or until the court grants you a default divorce. If your spouse also wants to split up, they could sign immediately and there’s no waiting period at all.
Next, is this going to be a contested divorce? If it is, that can take longer. You may need to go to court, present your cases, and have the judge rule on things like child custody or property division. If you’re on good terms and nothing is contested, though, you may be able to collaborate and quickly draft these agreements yourself, just asking the court to approve them. When a divorce takes years, it’s usually because there is a large conflict that is hard to resolve. If you avoid that and work together, it’s far faster.
Getting started
As you can see from these examples, it’s tough to put an exact time frame on it, such as saying that a divorce will take you six months. Your experience will not necessarily be the same as someone else’s. If you value speed, though, the best thing is to work with your spouse and agree to compromise. It can also help to work with an experienced firm as you get everything started.