Filing Divorce Papers

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After hiring an experienced divorce lawyer, the first step in obtaining a divorce is preparing the necessary paperwork and filing it with the state court that has proper jurisdiction. This begins the legal process and ensures that the other spouse will be notified about the divorce proceedings.

Generally, each state requires the spouse seeking divorce to file a Petition for Divorce (in some states called a Petition for Dissolution), which begins the divorce proceedings. Most states have different forms depending on whether the divorce is contested or uncontested or if there are children involved. As a result, some or all of the following forms may also be necessary:

Motion for Fee Waiver
Requests for temporary or provisional orders
Statements of marital and non-marital assets and debts
Forms related to children and custody
Forms disclosing any potential domestic abuse
Submitting the actual Separation Agreement or Divorce Decree for the judge's approval

Each state has a different form for filing a divorce, and many states put their forms online for their residents' convenience. The forms are available at the links in the following table.

Alabama	Alabama Courts E-Forms website
Alaska	Divorce Forms and Instructions
Arizona	Arizona Forms Self-Service Center
Arkansas	Court Forms – Domestic Relations Division
California	Forms & Instructions for Divorce, Legal Separation & Annulment Cases
Colorado	Domestic/Family Forms
Connecticut	Official Court Forms - Family
Delaware	Divorce Forms
Florida	Family Law Self-Help Forms
Georgia	Forms available by County (e.g. DeKalb and Fulton)
Hawaii	Divorce Forms
Idaho	Self-Help Center Family Law Forms
Illinois	Divorce/Separation Packets (provided by the Southern Illinois University School of Law)
Indiana	Indiana Court Forms
Iowa	Family Law Self-Help Forms
Kansas	Pro se Divorce Forms
Kentucky	Only some family-related forms are available
Louisiana	Forms available by Parish (e.g. Baton Rouge)
Maine	Judicial Branch Forms
Maryland	Domestic Relations Forms
Massachusetts	Divorce, Annulment, and Separation Forms
Michigan	Domestic Relations Forms
Minnesota	Divorce/Dissolution Forms
Mississippi	No online court forms available
Missouri	Court Forms
Montana	Divorce/Dissolution, Separation, and Annulment Forms
Nebraska	Simple Divorce Forms
Nevada	Pro se Divorce Forms
New Hampshire	Divorce and Parental Rights Forms
New Jersey	Forms are currently unavailable online
New Mexico	Divorce and Paternity Forms
New York	Matrimonial Matters Divorce Forms
North Carolina	Judicial Forms Search
North Dakota	Self-Represented Divorce Forms
Ohio	Forms available for some Counties (e.g. Claremont)
Oklahoma	Domestic/Family Law Forms
Oregon	Optional Statewide Family Law Forms
Pennsylvania	Forms from Office of Children and Families in the Courts
Rhode Island	Family Court Forms
South Carolina	Family Court Forms
South Dakota	Unified Judicial System Forms
Tennessee	Tennessee Court Forms
Texas	Divorce Forms and Information
Utah	Online Court Assistance Program
Vermont	Family Court Forms
Virginia	Domestic Relations Forms and Instructions
Washington	Divorce Forms
Washington D.C.	Family Court Forms Provided by the Washington D.C. Bar
West Virginia	Divorce Packet Forms
Wisconsin	Pro se Divorce and Separation information by County
Wyoming	Divorce and Child Support Pro Se information

Additionally, RocketLawyer contains helpful information regarding what forms and information are necessary for filing a divorce, and provides a worksheet that can be particularly helpful for organizing necessary information before meeting with a divorce lawyer.

This article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. This article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. You should consult with an attorney familiar with the issues and the laws of your jurisdiction. This article does not create any attorney-client relationship.

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