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With divorce month now in full swing, our adviser’s phones are red hot. People, concerned about the divorce process in the UK, understandably have an awful lot of questions to ask and we’re all too happy to oblige, starting by answering one of the questions we hear on a regular basis: what is a divorce petition? Also known as a D8, a divorce petition is a document which is used to both request that the courts grant the individual applying for a divorce (the petitioner) from their spouse (the respondent) and inform the courts of why the petitioner is seeking to end their marriage. The divorce petition is broken down into ten separate parts, the majority of which is basic information such as the petitioner and respondent’s names, their addresses and their occupations. If applicable, the names and dates of birth of their children or children who lived as part of the family during their marriage will also be required as will an additional form if any of the children are under 18, but we’ll discuss that in a separate post. As we have alluded to previously, the divorce petition is not only used to request that the court grant you a divorce, it is also used to show the courts that the marriage in question has broken down irretrievably and that a divorce can be granted as a result. This is why part five and six, or ‘the facts’ and ‘statement of facts’ portions of the petition are so important. Within section 5, the petitioner is asked to select one of five ‘facts’ in support of their application for divorce. Within section 6, they are then required to add a statement in support of the facts on which they rely. The information that is required in this section will differ depending upon which ‘facts’ the petitioner intends to rely (and a series of separate posts on this will follow,) but a date of separation and the reasons why the marriage has irretrievably broken will always need to be provided. The remainder of the form, fortunately, is uncomplicated and easy to understand. So, that’s the divorce petition explained. Keep checking this blog for more posts on court forms and their purpose including the ‘Statement of Arrangements for Children,’ ‘Affidavit in Support of Divorce’ and the dreaded ‘Application for a Fee Remission’.