- 1). Find a reputable source from which you can download the proper documentation for your dissolution of marriage online, although the County Clerk's office sometimes provides the form paperwork available on-site. While countless sites offer the paperwork, most charge exorbitant fees. However, there are a number of sites that offer free downloads (See Resources). If you need help, certain companies can help you prepare these documents.
- 2). Gather and have on hand all of the necessary information for the completion of the petition. You will need your Social Security number, as well as your spouse's, addresses, credit history inventories for the fair division of monetary assets, and VIN and license plates numbers for all cars owned as marital property, as well as any other pertinent information that might be relevant.
- 3). Go to your local courthouse and file a petition for divorce with the county clerk's office. As long as you have lived within that county's limits for a minimum of 90 days, your neighborhood office will process your request. The petition will give you a chance to state your grounds for wanting a divorce as well as address all of the matters regarding the marital settlement agreements. Pay the filing fees. As of 2010, the costs for filing the divorce decree run between $50 to $300. This will be a one-time fee. Some courts make the filing process easier by allowing you to fax or mail the petition.
- 4). Make two copies of the petition. Send one to your spouse and save a copy for your own records. Your spouse has up to 20 days to sign the paperwork. If he refuses to sign, he will be served.
- 5). Wait the required 60-day period while the judge prepares the final divorce decree. This will either be identical to the forms you filed, or slightly modified at the judge’s discretion. A final hearing will be set at the conclusion of the 60 days. Either you or your spouse will appear before the judge and testify to the reasons for the split and at the end of the hearing, your divorce will be finalized.
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