divorce guide

when
You can institute divorce proceedings after you have been married for
one year.

grounds
You will have to show that your marriage has broken down irretrievably.
You can show this by proving that either your spouse has committed adultery, been cruel either mentally or physically, that you have been deserted for at least two or more years or you have lived apart for more than five years. You can agree with your spouse that your marriage is at an end and consent to a divorce provided you have lived apart for more than two years.

domicile
To qualify for a divorce in England and Wales you have to satisfy certain residence conditions. By far the most common situation is that both husband and wife are English citizens and have permanent homes here but to help you decide we set out below the grounds you need to satisfy the residence condition:

• You and your spouse have your permanent homes in England and Wales.

• You and your spouse are living in England and Wales at the time the divorce is started.

• You and your spouse had your last home in England and Wales and one of you are still living here.

• You or your spouse are living in England and Wales at the time the divorce is started.

• You have been living in England and Wales for at least a year on the day the divorce is started.

• You have your permanent home in England and Wales and have been living here for at least six months when the divorce is started.

court hearings
Provided you can agree with your spouse about financial matters, and arrangements for the children, you will not have to attend court. It will be all dealt with on the paperwork. If there is a problem or you cannot agree with your spouse on a particular issue you may have to attend court if the problem cannot be resolved any other way.

marriage certificate
You will need an original marriage certificate when you file your divorce papers with the court. If you do not have one we can get a copy for you.
If you have a foreign marriage certificate in a language other than English then you will need to provide an official translation along with the original document. We can arrange professional translation services.
Please contact us to arrange a quote.