The divorce process

The No Fault Divorce Process

The No Fault Divorce Process

The process of divorce legally ends a marriage.

Since April 2022, England and Wales have moved to a no-fault based divorce system which means that you do not have to provide a reason for the breakdown of your marriage.

Below we explain the administrative process of getting a divorce; however, it is important to note that getting a divorce does not end your financial connection to each other or resolve any child arrangement issues

The divorce process

  • One party or as a couple you will give notice that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and submit an application for divorce.
  • The court will respond to the application in 5-10 days.
  • There is then a ‘cooling-off’ period of twenty weeks.
  •  Once this has passed, notice can be given to proceed with the divorce and the court can make a conditional order -previously the Decree Nisi.
  • After six weeks, the court can make a final order -previously the Decree Absolute.
  •  Overall, the process will take a minimum of 26-30 weeks; factoring in administration and processing time.
  • Any financial settlements and child arrangements will need to be dealt with separately and aligned to this process.