It’s understandable if you’re contemplating divorce in Alabama and wish you could simply skip to the finish when your marriage is officially over. You may get personalized guidance and input from our experienced divorce lawyers Birmingham by scheduling a consultation.
Residency Is A Prerequisite
The first thing to know about divorcing in Alabama is that you must be a state resident. You must have lived in Alabama for at least six months to apply for divorce. A valid Alabama driver’s license or state identity card is proof of residency. No application will be accepted if you cannot provide proof of residence in your home state. Because of this, it’s best to begin obtaining residence as soon as feasible.
Waiting Time
After you submit your divorce papers with the court, you must wait 30 days before the court may give you a divorce. It’s common for a divorce to take more than 30 days to be finalized in most circumstances. Within ten weeks, most divorces that are not challenged may be finalized. Contested divorces, on the other hand, might take a long time. If the residence criterion is met, the 30-day waiting period guarantees that a divorce will take at least 30 days to be issued.
Divorce Timeframe: Uncontested vs. Contested
An uncontested divorce is a lot more time-saving. Couples that are divorcing amicably have previously agreed on the split terms. As a result, the court will have no decision to make. The court might evaluate the proposed divorce agreement and approve or reject.
Couples who are divorcing but disagree on the divorce terms are said to be in conflict. To avoid a divorce, both spouses must develop a plan and defend it in front of the judge. After that, it’s up to the court to make a decision. As a result, neither spouse has as much say in what occurs. These processes may take a long time, and how long they take relies completely on the commitment of each spouse to a reasonable and collaborative resolution. These procedures may benefit from mediation. Divorce cases with many conflicts and substantial assets may easily go on for many years.
Divorce proceedings may be protracted, expensive, and draining on the spouses’ emotional well-being. Disputed divorce processes may go on for a long time. Even though each divorce is unique, we have included some basic information to give you an idea of how long a divorce could take in Alabama.
