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Divorce

Since April 2022 divorce in England and Wales is no-fault: you state that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, and your spouse cannot contest it. That removed the blame, not the timetable, and it did nothing at all about the money. The two things that decide how a divorce actually goes are the finances and the arrangements for children — both handled separately from the divorce itself. Ending the marriage without a financial order can leave claims open for years. Call 07476 557650 free, any hour — and a one-hour consultation with a UK solicitor (£145, a fixed fee) can be booked right on the call.

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There are two built-in waits and they cannot be shortened: a 20-week reflection period from the application before you can apply for the conditional order, then at least 43 days (six weeks and one day) after the conditional order before the final order. Do not apply for the final order until the finances are sorted — doing so can cost you pension and inheritance rights.

Divorce at a glance

No fault, no defence

You state irretrievable breakdown; your spouse cannot contest it except on narrow legal grounds such as jurisdiction

Application fee

£628 to apply for a divorce in England and Wales, online or by post

Married a year

You must have been married for over a year, and the marriage must be legally recognised in the UK

The waits

20 weeks before the conditional order, then 43 days before the final order

Money is separate

The divorce ends the marriage; only a financial order ends financial claims — including claims made years later

How the process actually runs

One or both of you apply, stating that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. A joint application is possible and often sets a better tone. The court acknowledges the application and the 20-week reflection period begins. After it, you apply for a conditional order, which a judge grants on the papers without either of you attending. Six weeks and a day after that you may apply for the final order, which ends the marriage. Nothing in that sequence decides who gets the house, the pension or the savings — that is a separate application, and the single most common and most expensive mistake is treating the divorce as though it settled the money. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

The finances are the real case

Financial claims survive the divorce unless a court order dismisses them. A former spouse can bring a claim years later, and remarriage complicates rather than removes this. The court starts from full and frank disclosure on both sides, then looks at needs — particularly housing and the children — before sharing what is left. Pensions are routinely the largest asset after the home and routinely the most overlooked; a pension sharing order requires the divorce and a court order, and cannot be improvised. Agreements reached between you can be turned into a consent order, which is far cheaper than litigating and is what most people should be aiming for. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

Scotland and Northern Ireland are different

Scotland did not adopt the England and Wales no-fault model. A Scottish divorce still rests on irretrievable breakdown established by one year's separation with consent, two years without, or by unreasonable behaviour or adultery, and the financial rules differ substantially — Scots law works from the matrimonial property acquired during the marriage, with a strong presumption of equal sharing and a much tighter approach to maintenance. Northern Ireland runs its own procedure again. If you or your spouse have connections to more than one part of the UK, or abroad, where the divorce is started can change the financial outcome significantly, and that decision is worth advice before you file. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

Getting a divorce, step by step

Check you qualify, then applyMarried over a year, the marriage recognised in the UK, and the relationship permanently broken down. £628 to apply, jointly if you can.

Use the 20 weeks on the money, not on waitingExchange full financial disclosure, get the pensions valued, and negotiate. This period exists to be used.

Get a financial order before the final orderA consent order signed off by a judge is what actually ends the claims. Call 07476 557650 free, any hour — and a one-hour consultation with a UK solicitor (£145, a fixed fee) can be booked right on the call.

Divorce — your questions answered

Can my husband or wife refuse to divorce me?

No. Since April 2022 a divorce in England and Wales cannot be defended on the basis that the other person does not want it. A respondent can dispute only narrow legal points, such as whether the courts here have jurisdiction or whether the marriage is valid. What they can do is slow things down procedurally and, far more importantly, argue about the money — which is the part that actually determines your future, and the part worth your energy.

Do I need a solicitor to get divorced?

Not for the divorce itself, which is largely an administrative online process most people complete themselves. The finances are a different question. If there is a property, a pension, a business, debts, or a significant difference in income between you, an hour of advice before you agree anything is the best money you will spend — because a financial settlement is very hard to reopen once it is an order.

How long does a divorce take in the UK?

The legal minimum in England and Wales is about seven months: 20 weeks from application to conditional order, then six weeks and a day to the final order. In practice most take longer, and the delay is almost never the divorce itself — it is the financial settlement running alongside it. Couples who agree the money quickly finish quickly; couples who litigate it can take well over a year.