Divorces are tough times to go through. They can also take a considerable amount of time to wrap up as you need to involve divorce attorneys, go through paperwork, and visit the court many times. Here is everything you need to know about the common divorce process and how long it takes.

Divorce And Its Time Span

Usually, a divorce takes anywhere from 9 to 11 months to complete, from start to finish. The divorces which are amicable and do not have any underlying issues and major differences wrap up fast.

But divorces which include trials and testimonies, because of differences between the parties and the resistance of the parties to go down without a fight, can take longer because the court has to organize the trials and meetings with the judge who decides everything in the end.

Things On Which Divorce Timeline Depends

Here are some things which make up the timeline of the divorce and these things can make a divorce process faster or delay it even further.

Your Court’s Workload

Wherever you live, your county or area will have a court and that court will usually take your divorce case because you are in their jurisdiction. However, the court is not free all the time.

There might be tons of workload already on the lawyers and the court might be busy entertaining other cases too, so you will be given a later date for the divorce process and its necessary meetings. This can delay the divorce process a lot.

What Is The Type Of Divorce You’re Going For?

There are many types of divorces you can go for, depending on the situation you’re in. If you are going for a traditional divorce, where both parties are active and present, then you will need to give 9 to 11 months for the divorce proceedings to be completed.

If your partner has abandoned you or is not interested in being present during the divorce proceedings, then the divorce process is faster. Another type of divorce that takes forever to wrap is a fault divorce, where trials are held because you need to present evidence to back the claims of any type of fault or argument. No-fault divorce is better for a quicker divorce.

Resolution Of Issues

If both parties are complying, then a divorce process is smooth and there aren’t any unnecessary holdups. It’s very important to have a talk with your spouse about making the divorce process as short as possible so that no one suffers in any way in the end.

Divorces that are based on unjust and vice can take longer because there is always a conflict between the two parties and it can get delayed even more if there are child custody, child support, spousal support, and financial disputes involved in the mix of things.

Serving Papers

If the applicant of the divorce is willing to have the papers served to their partner, then the divorce process can take a lot of time. There is a proper protocol as to how the papers are served and the person served will get the necessary time to think over this and they have the right to appeal this decision as well, so it can add to the delay.

This is why it’s better to get a divorce in the traditional and quick way, where both parties are already thinking about going their separate ways and they want as little delay as possible.

Longevity Of The Cooling Off Period

After you decide that you want to go for a divorce, and you and your partner start to live separately, there is a time span between this decision and going forth with the actual divorce process and that is called the separation time or cooling-off period. This can be a couple of days or even weeks.

During this time, you might consider your options, like reconciliation or going your separate ways for good. The longer this cooling-off period is, the longer it will take the actual divorce process to start, so it’s a huge factor.

Conclusion

There you have it! A divorce is not as long of a procedure if it’s simple and both parties are complying, otherwise things can take a messy turn and it can take longer to wrap it up. So, make sure you’re getting the services of top rated divorce lawyers Fairfax VA to make the process less daunting.