How long will it take for you to get divorced? It’s every lawyer’s favorite answer – it depends!
It will take at least six months (and one day!) for you to get divorced.
First, you will need to be sure you meet the residency requirements for filing in California. This is six months in the state and three months in the county where you file.
Next, you’ll need to file your petition. How long this takes is up to you. If you are quick about getting your petition filled out and/or give the necessary information to your lawyer right away, it should not take long.
Then you need to arrange for service on your spouse. The time this takes can vary. Someone other than you must serve your spouse in person by mail. If service is by mail, then your spouse must sign and return a form (FL-117) saying that they received the documents. When the parties are amicable, it is usually easy to arrange for service and does not take very long. Sometimes, where the other spouse (respondent) files a response, that date will be used instead of the service date. This tends to happen when no proof of service was filed after service was completed.
Once your spouse is served, the law requires that your divorce cannot be entered until six months and one day later. This is the absolute minimum amount of time it will take to get your divorce completed. This can happen when everyone is in agreement and all issues are resolved quickly.
Though divorces can be completed more quickly, they frequently get slowed down. This can happen if a party does not provide necessary information, like financial disclosures, in a timely manner or where the parties are not able to reach an agreement and must go to court to have the issue heard. Generally, the more issues that must be determined by the court, the longer your divorce will take. If your case has complex financial issues or a lot of discovery is required, that can also increase the length of your case.
To learn more about how long it will take you to get divorced, please contact Romanovska Law.
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