Either one or both of you submit the application to the court sole or joint. You do not choose a reason. You do not assign blame. You state one thing only: the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The court accepts this as conclusive.
Mandatory 20-week waiting period from issue of the application. Use this time to negotiate your financial settlement and any child arrangement, it should not be dead time. The respondent has 14 days to acknowledge service.
Once 20 weeks have passed, One or both of the parties must actively confirm to the court that you wish to continue. This step exists deliberately. The law requires a conscious, considered decision to proceed. Once confirmed, the court issues the Conditional Order (previously called Decree Nisi).
The Conditional Order is the Court's formal acknowledgment that there is no legal reason the marriage cannot end. It is not the divorce itself, you are still legally married at this point. Importantly, this is the stage at which capital financial orders (property, pensions, lump sums) can first be made by the court.
Six weeks and one day after the Conditional Order, you can apply for the Final Order and the marriage is legally dissolved. But do not rush this step. Pension entitlements, death-in-service benefits and certain insurance rights all end here. Always have your financial settlement sealed by the court before applying.
Negotiate and agree finances or go to court. Either way, a Consent Order or Financial Remedy Order must be approved by a judge to make it legally binding and permanent. Without it, claims can be made years later.
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