You'll start by filing a divorce petition, or a petition for divorce, with the legal reasons for your divorce and the issues you want the court to address. You usually file for divorce in the Superior Court of the county where your spouse lives.
To file for divorce
, you must meet certain legal requirements. With the necessary divorce forms completed, your divorce request must be filed with the Superior Court of your county of residence. Last updated on October 16, 2024 A divorce in Georgia can take anywhere from 31 days to several years, depending on the type of divorce and other factors.If both spouses are willing to cooperate in their divorce, the resolution usually takes between six months and a year. If one or both of the spouses are in conflict, resolving the divorce may take several years. Most disagreements stem from disputes involving money, property, child custody, court delays, custody evaluations, asset valuation, and delays caused by the slowness of the spouse's response. Mediation services can help keep this process civil and resolve the divorce on a faster time frame.
Contact our family law firm in Georgia by calling 770-888-5120 or filling out this contact form. An attorney will respond within 24 business hours. The Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court will process your petition and the formal divorce documents will be delivered to your spouse. The application for divorce is the most important document you will need to prepare and file with the court.
You can file for a divorce on your own, with the help of an online divorce service, or by having an attorney handle everything for you. If you and your spouse cannot reach an agreement on the terms of your divorce, a judge will decide your case. After you file your divorce, you will need to determine what financial statements related to your divorce your country requires. After the divorce: Long after the divorce decree is issued and the spouses have separated, it may be necessary to return to court to enforce the property agreement, enforce alimony or visitation, or modify custody or maintenance orders. The fundamental steps in an unopposed divorce include recognizing the notification of the divorce claim, exchanging a few documents at most, and attending an unopposed hearing to finalize the process.
Georgia also offers no-fault divorces, meaning that only one party must convince the court that the marriage is irreparable.
To file for divorce in
Georgia, you or your spouse must have resided in Georgia for at least six months before submit the request. If you're considering the option of doing it yourself, it's essential that you understand Georgia's requirements, including the forms you'll need, where to file the documents, and what steps to take after that. The timeline for the remaining steps can vary greatly depending on the nature of your case, as more complex or contested divorces take longer.The Atlanta Legal Aid Society has an explanation of what to do if you are filed for divorce, as well as other information related to the divorce. A spouse who fails to disclose all accounts, debts, or assets could face penalties in a divorce case, such as fines and possible jail time. One question you may have up front is whether your divorce is a contentious divorce or an uncontested divorce.
