Washington Divorce Forms & Papers

Divorce Papers > Washington Divorce Forms & Papers

While filing for divorce one has to make sure that the paperwork and document are accurate and filled appropriately. On-line divorce in Washington allows people to file your petition to dissolve your marriage without any hassles. Washington divorce forms and papers are easily available on various websites. One has to refer to authentic sites in order to get the right format and also the documents should match with your circumstances or the kind of divorce you wish to file. The special on-line service was created in order to save your time and money as people can even file the divorce decree without the need to appear in courts.

The spouse who ways to file for divorce must be a resident of Washington or a member of the Armed Forces stationed in Washington. The dissolution of marriage may be filed for in any county where either the petitioner or respondent resides. In addition, the court will not act on the petition until 90 days has elapsed from the filing and the service of summons on the respondent. [Revised Code of Washington Annotated; Title 26, Chapter 26.09. 010 and 26.09.030].

The only no-fault ground for divorce in Washington is: Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. (Revised Code of Washington Annotated; Title 26, Chapter 26.09.030). The spouses must file a Washington Department of Human Services Certificate with the petition. There are also THE COURT DOCUMENTS local court rules which apply to dissolution of marriage. These are found in Washington Local Court Rules, Rule 94.04. [Revised Code of Washington Annotated; Title 26, Chapters 26.09.080.]

USE THESE WORDS IN THE COURT DOCUMENTS FOR WASHINGTON

Use these exact words, all in capital letters: IN THE COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF (the first blank line will be filled in with SUPERIOR COURT, or FAMILY COURT upon request).
Use these exact words, all in capital letters: PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
Use the word "Petitioner". Be sure the "P" is capitalized.
Use the word "Respondent". Be sure the "R" is capitalized.
Use these exact words: DECREE OF DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE. Be sure to use capital letters only when placed as the title of your final document.
Use the word "County" here.

Procedure to file a divorce in the state of Washington:

In Washington, an uncontested divorce is less time consuming and less expensive. The process can sum up in a few basic steps that includes:

Completing the divorce petition by a spouse
Once completed the petition needs to be filed with the court. It should be filed in the county where you are residing
The papers are then presented to your spouse. If it is an uncontested divorce, the process can speed up faster as the spouse has to just sign an "Acceptance of Service" as an acknowledgement of the receipt of the documents. The acknowledgments clearly implies that the spouse agrees with the divorce. On the other hand if the divorce is contested, your spouse's lawyer would take the lead after the receipt of the divorce papers. The process can get lethargic and time consuming with checking of financial records, banks statements, evaluation of your assets and also conducting interviews with your co-workers, friends and children. The case might also go on trial which would take about a year to wind up the process. Most couples for this reason go for a marriage settlement before the trial in order to save time, money and the hassle.
Finally the divorce decree or documents are signed and filed.

The cost for a divorce in Washington

For filing a divorce in Washington, one has to pay $280 to the court. This excludes other costs that can be incurred for photocopying or your lawyer fees. People who cannot afford this fees need to fill a special form requesting the court the waive it.

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

Free Washington 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...".