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The decree nisi

A decree nisi is a document from the court that confirms you are able to end your marriage through a divorce. However, your divorce is not final at this stage.

This can be applied for from the court after the respondent has been served with the petition. As long as the court is happy with all of your papers, then the decree nisi will then be pronounced in court.

However, if your spouse doesn’t agree to the divorce, then you may then need to go to court to argue your case where the judge will decide whether or not to grant a decree nisi.

You do not need to be there when the decree nisi is pronounced.

It is at any time after this point that you can ask the court to make an binding order regarding your financial settlement. Although separate from the divorce process itself, this is a very important element. Ask us for more information about this.

Some couples can come to an agreement about what their financial settlement will look like between themselves or with the help of solicitor-to-solicitor negotiations, for example, but others cannot come to an agreement and have to ask the courts to decide their settlement. This can often be the case with high net worth individuals with complex international assets and investments.