Virginia Divorce Forms & Papers

Divorce Papers > Virginia Divorce Forms & Papers

A person opting for a divorce goes through one of the most toughest phases of life and in the end it lead to quite a lot of stress; both mental and physical. One of the easiest methods of divorce is by considering the on-line service as it helps you with the process of filing a divorce in the least amount of time and also with less effort. Virginia divorce forms and papers can be easily obtained on-line. One should however know a little about the procedure for filing a divorce and get the right forms and papers, preferably from an authentic website. This will help you to be prepared as your become more aware of the terms, conditions and the procedures apart from spending less on the process.

For filing a divorce in Virginia, one of the spouses must have been a resident of Virginia for at least 6 months prior to filing for divorce. The divorce may be filed for in: 1) the county in which the spouses last lived together; or 2) the county where the defendant resides; or 3) if the defendant is a nonresident of Virginia, the county where the plaintiff resides. [Code of Virginia; Title 8, Section 8.01-261; and Title 20, Sections 20-96 and 20-97].

Grounds for filing a divorce in Virginia:

The no-fault grounds for divorce in Virginia are: 1) living separate and apart without cohabitation for one year; or 2) living separate and apart without cohabitation for 6 months if there are no minor children and the spouses have entered into a separation agreement. [Code of Virginia; Title 20, Section 20-91].

Whereas the grounds for a fault based divorce includes: 1) cruelty 2) adultery 3) abandonment 4) desertion by will 5) felony conviction followed by imprisonment for a year.

No matter what the reason is for a divorce, the Do It Yourself divorce, allows partners to file for a divorce, either on an agreed basis or default basis.

As per the Virginia divorce guidelines, an agreed divorce is one that is been agreed by both the spouses. This is one of most convenient and sought after divorce methods as both parties agree to the terms and the conditions of the divorce. Other factors such as property distribution and child custody are also discussed. In an agreed divorce, both the spouses have to sign the divorce papers which would state that they are both seeking for a divorce and settle any issues that might crop after the marriage dissolves.

A default divorce on the other hand is sought by one of the partners. The other partner although agrees for a divorce but does not show up in the court or signs the papers. He/she just defaults in the case. In a default divorce the spouse filing for divorce usually gets whatever is been asked for in the divorce papers.

Procedure to file a divorce in the state of Virginia:

One has to follow three simple steps to complete the procedure of divorce in the state of Virginia. These include:

Filing the divorce papers and documents in the county. (make sure that you fulfill all the rules and regulations for filing a divorce in the correct county)
The next step is to notify your spouse about you file a divorce
Finally both spouses should make sure that they present for the court hearing

Child custody in the state of Virginia:

Like most states, child custody in Virginia is a shared arrangement. For sole child custody the reason needs to be mentioned and both spouses should agree on the same. However, a partner's financial status is not considered one of the reasons for sole child custody.

USE THESE WORDS IN THE COURT DOCUMENTS FOR VIRGINIA

Use these exact words, all in capital letters: VIRGINIA: IN THE COURT OF (the first blank line will be filled in with either CIRCUIT or JUVENILE; the second line will Fe-e-i-tfier DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURT or EXPERIMENTAL FAMILY COURT. Contact your county clerks office to find out which to use.)
Use these exact words, all in capital letters: COMPLAINT FOR DIVORCE
Use the word "Plaintiff'. Be sure the "P" is capitalized.
Use the word "Defendant". Be sure the "D" is capitalized.
Use these exact words: DECREE OF DIVORCE. Be sure to use capital letters only when placed as the title of your final document.
Use the word "County" here.

For detailed divorce laws in Virginia state, please see Virginia Divorce Laws page.

Free Virginia Divorce Forms for Download

Following divorce forms are free for download. Most of the forms are provided with instructions on how to fill the form. To download any of these divorce papers and forms just right click on the link and select "Save As...".

Virginia Divorce Instructions

Virginia Divorce Forms that both parties must sign

Forms & Documents

Virginia Divorce Court Forms