Once your relationship with your partner worsens, you start thinking about the ways to work it out. Still, it may happen that you won’t find the ways to get out of the problems you have so you come to a solution of dissolving the marriage. If your decision to split up is final, it’s time to find out how to end your marital life legally and without extra stress. We know how to do it, so we created this post for you to use as a guide to the Florida divorce process.
Find out whether you are eligible for marriage dissolution in Florida
Before filing the claim for your marriage to be terminated, you have to make sure whether you are eligible to do that in a certain state. Each state in the USA has its own requirements to fulfill. In particular, either of the partners must have been residing in the state before their divorce proceedings in Florida could start. Thus, if you moved to the state less than half a year ago and want to get divorced, you’ll need to wait until 6 months of your living there pass. You can use this time in different ways from trying to restore your family life to educating yourself on Florida divorce steps to take.
Agree with your partner on terms of your divorce
Since there is no need to announce your reasons for dissolving a marriage in Florida, you will not have to state any reasons in your divorce claim except for the irreversible breakdown of your bond.
Still, you have a lot of work to do if you want to become legally single quickly. First and foremost, your couple has to find a way to communicate and agree about ways you’ll live after you are separated. It relates to the property you have (your house, cars, business), your kids, and support for each other. All these issues have to be settled before you ask a judge to divorce you, so think about it in advance.
Gather the necessary documents
The next step is collecting the forms that you will fill out to inform the court that you want to start a divorce proceeding in Florida. The main document, a Marriage dissolution petition, can be filled out by either of the couple. Usually, it’s done by the initiator of a break-up.
Then, consider gathering other documents that relate to the life of your couple, including your financial statements, property documents, your kids’ birth certificates, etc. The latter should be copied and stored in a safe place if you have kids under 18 years old and have to decide on their care and support after divorce.
Submit papers to the court
‘How to file for divorce in Florida?’ is one of the most popular questions we get from our readers. Yet we have to admit that this part isn’t the hardest in the whole process in Florida.
Once you collect the forms to dissolve your marriage, submit them to a local clerk’s office. At this moment, be sure to note the case number that will be given to your documents’ package. It will be an indicator of your case in the next stages of the process.
Create a written agreement with your partner
Now, it’s time to consolidate all your agreements with your husband or wife on paper. This is needed to demonstrate to a judge that you have a project of your living after divorce. Being ready to fulfill your responsibilities towards each other and your kids is essential to get a painless marriage dissolution in Florida.
In this agreement, you and your future ex should outline all the details of your divorce: where your kids will live, who will be the visiting parent, how you will divide the things you have, and whether any of the couple will support the other. The more detailed this paper is, the faster a judge will approve it.
Deliver Petition to your partner
The next step is delivering documents you’ve submitted to the court to your partner. This stage is created to inform the other partner about the case opening in court.
If you continue living with your wife or husband during the proceeding, you cannot serve the papers on your own. Therefore, you should ask a county Sheriff to do that for you. You can invite other certified individuals to deliver documents regarding your marriage dissolution; however, they should have permission to do that in the county where your partner lives.
Wait for the court to discover your case
No one loves to wait when it comes to ending the marriage, yet there is no chance to omit this stage of the process in Florida. It takes at least 20 days for the judge to review your case and decide on your dissolution in case of a simple divorce. But if the children or complicated division of material things are involved, you’ll need to wait even longer. Use this period as a chance to restore the relations with your friends or family whom you hadn’t had the time to visit before. Also, don’t forget to take care of yourself at this moment: a divorce is an event that impacts people’s personalities regardless of their gender, so dedicate some time to your mental and physical health.
Get the marriage dissolution confirmation
Finally, getting a document on your marriage dissolution is the last step of becoming single again. Store this document in a safe place and make sure you have it scanned for yourself. Now, the new chapter of your life starts. It’s time to be happier and enjoy your life again.
