Once the respondent has been served the divorce petition then the decree nisi can be applied for and, as long as the grounds for divorce are accepted, the decree nisi can then be pronounced in court.

When the finances have been finalised, then a decree absolute can be applied for. When you have your decree absolute, you are officially divorced. The decree absolute cannot be applied for less than 6 weeks and 1 day after the decree nisi has been pronounced in court.

However, it is rarely this quick. Not only can it take a while to get court dates but negotiations for financial settlements can run into months or even years. As it’s not usual to get a decree absolute before finances have been settled between you and your spouse, this could significantly hold up the proceedings, especially if you need to take your financial settlement case to court if negotiations don’t prove satisfactory.

With more complex financial situations the more lengthy the process can be and the more important it is to get the correct legal advice from specialist solicitors such as Austin Kemp.

For more information on this subject please visit our Legal Library.

Contact us to see how we can help you with your divorce

For more information on your options call our team on 0845 862 5001 or email mail@austinkemp.co.uk.

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