- 1). Find out which court in your county is responsible for handling do-it-yourself divorces. Pay the court a visit in person or log onto the website to obtain the legal documents you and your spouse will need to complete. Ask court clerks about any document-purchasing fees.
- 2). Read the divorce forms carefully. Standard divorce paperwork for do-it-yourself divorces includes an instruction sheet, Original Petition for Divorce, Waiver of Citation and Final Decree of Divorce. Depending on the state you live in there may be more paperwork required. Complete all of the necessary paperwork.
- 3). Make copies of all the documents after you and your spouse have signed them. It is important to keep records on the paperwork so that you have a paper trail in case you ever need to prove that the items were filled out.
- 4). Be sure to include copies of attachments that are needed to complete your divorce, such as copies of birth certificates, drivers licenses and marriage licenses.
- 5). Submit the forms to the appropriate court based on what the instruction sheet tells you. Be prepared to pay a filing fee, which varies from state to state --- or court to court. Ask the clerk how long the process takes on his end before the divorce is finalized. The clerk may give you a time frame, such as 60-to-90 days, but it also depends on whether the judge reviewing your documents find any mistakes or omissions on the paperwork, which would hold up the process.
- 6). Keep track of the time frame as you wait to hear back from the courts. Contact them if you do not hear anything about your divorce after the average time frame has expired. Checking in may give you insight into where your divorce is in the process.
- 7). Attend a hearing if the judge summons you to dissolve your marriage in court, or in his chambers. This is not required by every court, but be prepared for it as a possibility.
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