Divorce Journey (No-Fault, England & Wales)
The full divorce process under the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020: application, 20-week reflection, Conditional Order, Final Order, and financial remedy.
Who Uses This Journey
Spouses (or civil partners under parallel dissolution provisions) seeking to end their marriage in England and Wales. The 2020 Act came into force on 6 April 2022 — no-fault, online, no defending.
Stage-by-Stage Timeline
Eligibility check
Married at least 1 year; either party domiciled in or habitually resident in E&W for at least 12 months; marriage validly registered and recognised in E&W.
- Forgetting to check the 1-year minimum
Sole or joint application
Decide between a sole application (you alone) or joint application (both of you). Joint is smoother where there is agreement; sole is often necessary where there is conflict.
- Joint application then one party loses contact — falls back to sole
Apply online
Apply at apply-for-divorce.service.gov.uk. Upload marriage certificate scan. Pay £593 (or fee remission via EX160A).
Acknowledgement of service
In a sole application, the respondent has 14 days to acknowledge service. They cannot defend on the merits. In a joint application, both parties acknowledge automatically.
20-week reflection period
Mandatory cooling-off between application and Conditional Order application. Use this time to negotiate finances and arrangements for children.
Conditional Order
Apply for the Conditional Order (formerly Decree Nisi). The court declares you are entitled to a divorce. Usually granted without a hearing.
Financial Consent Order (if any)
If finances are agreed, draft a Consent Order and submit before applying for Final Order. The court reviews and approves. Without an Order, financial claims remain open even after Final Order.
- Applying for Final Order before sorting finances — this can extinguish important rights (e.g. surviving spouse pension)
Final Order
At least 6 weeks and 1 day after the Conditional Order, apply for the Final Order (formerly Decree Absolute). This legally ends the marriage.