Thinking about getting divorced?
TL;DR: Setfords can help you through a divorce with our family lawyers available to support you.
No one enters a marriage expecting it to end. The decision to separate is often deeply emotional and can feel overwhelming, particularly when you are thinking about your future and the wellbeing of your family. During such a difficult time, having the right legal support can make a real difference. At Setfords, our family lawyers are here to guide you through each step with understanding, care, and clear advice when you need it most.
Divorce is the legal process that formally brings a marriage to an end. While it can feel like a daunting step, it provides a clear legal framework that recognises the breakdown of a marriage and allows both people to move forward with their lives, including their financial and legal arrangements. For couples in a civil partnership, the equivalent process is known as dissolution, which follows a very similar legal procedure.
What are the grounds for divorce in the UK?
In the UK, there is only one ground for divorce: that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, implemented in April 2022, introduced ‘no-fault’ divorces. Since then, divorcing couples only have to confirm that their marriage has irretrievably broken down; they do not need to explain why this is the case. Previously, one of five reasons had to be given to prove the breakdown of the marriage, but this is no longer needed. These reasons were:
- Adultery
- Unreasonable behaviour
- Desertion
- Two years’ separation with consent
- Five years’ separation without consent
What's the process for getting a divorce?
There are several stages to getting a divorce. Firstly, you must decide if you will file the divorce petition with the court together (a joint application) or separately (a sole application).
If you make a sole application, the court will send your spouse (the Respondent) an Acknowledgement of Service form, which they must complete and return within 14 days.
Then comes a 20-week waiting period, allowing you to start discussions about arrangements post-divorce. This also gives you the opportunity to change your mind before the divorce goes any further.
After this, you will apply for a Conditional Order, after which a Certificate of Entitlement will be issued if the judge is satisfied that the divorce can go ahead.
You must wait at least 6 weeks and 1 day before applying for a Final Order. Once this has been applied for, it should be issued a short while later. After this, your marriage is legally ended.
Please bear in mind that if you want a legally binding financial agreement, you must also apply for a Financial Consent Order, which you should do before the Final Order is issued.
The cost of a divorce can vary based on its complexity. Every divorcing couple must pay a court fee of £593.
If you need to have a Financial Consent Order simply approved by the court, this incurs a fee of £58.
If you cannot agree on financial arrangements and go to court, there will be a court fee of £275.
If you cannot agree on child arrangements and go to court for this, there will be a fee of £255 to apply for a court order.
You will also have to pay fees to your divorce lawyer. These can vary based on location and your chosen lawyer’s area of expertise. Most lawyers charge on either an hourly or fixed-fee basis.
The more complex your divorce is, the higher the fees will be. A straightforward divorce with no disagreements will take less time than a complex one which reaches court, due to the larger amount of the lawyer’s time that this kind of divorce will take up.
Posted Mar 10, 2026, 11:20 AM UTC · locked