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‘How do you start the divorce process in the UK?’ is, our research has revealed, one of the most searched for terms concerning divorce throughout England and Wales. With this in mind, we thought we’d provide a step-by-step guide on both what you’ll need to do and what you should do in order to begin the process of legally ending a marriage.

Communicate with your spouse

In our opinion, the first thing you should do is have a discussion with your spouse, tell them that you’re considering filing for divorce and ask them if they’d agree to it. Granted, there’s no legal requirement for this but it’s still sensible, and not just because it’s polite.

By doing this you’re firstly preventing your spouse from being shocked when they receive correspondence from the court and, secondly, because you’ll feel significantly less anxious about the whole process knowing that they’ll agree to the divorce. Alternatively, if they tell you that they intend to contest the divorce, you’ll at least know that you’re going to need legal advice.

Consider mediation

If you’re lucky enough to be able to decide how to divide your savings, pensions, properties, who the children will live with etc. then you can skip this step. If, like most people, you need some help, however, mediation could save you money and make the process of negotiating these agreements a lot more tolerable. Indeed, the vast majority of couples are able to resolve things with the help of a mediator.

Oh, plus if you can’t arrive at an agreement and need to ask the courts to make a ruling, you’ll need to have tried mediation before they’ll even consider your request.

Find/replace your marriage certificate

In order to complete the document you’ll need to start the divorce process, you’ll need to include information featured on your marriage certificate within one section so you’re going to need to find it or, failing that, replace it.

If you were married in the UK, you can obtain a copy by going to this website. If you were married abroad, the process can become tricky but we’d recommend either contacting the British embassy or your wedding planner or tour operator if you had one.

Find your nearest Divorce Centre

Next, you’ll need to find your nearest Divorce Centre which you can do here.

Download and complete a D8 form, then send it to your Divorce Centre

All you need to do now is download a D8 form (also known as a divorce petition) from here, complete it and then send it to your nearest Divorce Centre along with your marriage certificate (the original or a certified copy issued by a register office). Depending on how you intend to pay the court’s fees, you’ll also either need to include a cheque, a completed EX160 form (if you’re requesting that you be exempt from these fees or that they be reduced) or have ticked the box that states you’d like to pay by card (which appears near the top of the first page).

Alternatively, Quickie Divorce can complete all of the documents you’ll need for you. Click on this link to find out more about our online divorce services.