Quick Divorce

How Can You Get a Quick Divorce?

The speed of your divorce process is controlled by two things: your state’s laws and the cooperation between you and your spouse.

State Laws impacting the speed of the divorce process

The two state laws that have an effect on how quickly you can get divorced are the state’s residency requirement and the state’s “cooling off period.”

Residency Requirement

All states have a residency requirement for filing for a divorce. This means that you have to have lived in that state for a specific time before you can file for a divorce.

These residency requirements range from six weeks to six months. For a list of each state’s residency requirement, click here.

If you have lived in your state for more than a year, you don’t have to worry about this. However, if you are somewhat transient, or if you have just moved to a state that has a long residency requirement, you could move to another state and get your divorce started sooner.

Cooling off period

All states also require that a certain amount of time pass between the time you file for divorce and the time that the divorce is granted. Remember that historically, divorce has not been favored by governments. That is why they have these waiting periods.

The cooling off period is also useful as a practical matter. Sometimes a person may file for a divorce after a big fight, and then the couple makes up and the divorce action is dismissed. This happens more often than people imagine.

Without the cooling off period, a couple could get themselves a quick divorce that they would come to regret a short time later.

Cooperation for a Quick Divorce

Aside from the various state laws putting the brakes on your divorce, the biggest controlling factor is the cooperation of the parties.

If both spouses want the divorce, then they can negotiate acceptable settlement terms. After that it is a simple matter to get the property division agreement drafted and signed, and submitted to the Court. The Judge will then sign the Decree and the divorce is done.

Cooperation is also the key to getting a cheap divorce.

By Steve Harton

Steve is a divorce attorney in Rock Springs, Wyoming. If you would like to get a quick divorce in  Wyoming, please give him a call, at 307-459-6468.