Yes, you certainly can get divorced completely online in the UK. In fact an online divorce process is exactly the same as if it was carried out by a solicitor or if you were to do it yourself.
In certain cases an online divorce is significantly preferable to one that is face to face. The question is whether the divorce is contested or not. If one or both spouses dispute some aspect of their divorce then using an online service is not recommended.
All of the online divorce providers only deal with uncontested divorces and could not litigate on your behalf.
Online divorce services such as Express Divorce offer guidance, support and draft your paperwork.
Normally customers come to Express Divorce after having settled their finances already, either between themselves or by using a mediator. Both of these options are significantly preferable than going to court.
If you and your spouse are struggling to agree on how to separate your financial assets then please consider using a mediator before going to court. Using a mediator successfully will save a lot of time, money and stress on both parts.
We regularly get customers who have started by using a solicitor but quickly managed to reach an agreement on their finances. Instead they switched to us as their online divorce provider and saved hundreds of pounds in the process.
So what are the advantages of divorcing online?
Online divorces are cheaper
All online divorce services are cheaper than their high street counterparts. Appointing an experienced solicitor can cost up to £300 an hour. Even a junior solicitor will be over £100 an hour.
Express Divorce tries to be entirely transparent about our costs. Some of our competition sites are not particularly clear about the court fees and when you will need to pay them. We are entirely upfront about these additional fees as we do not want to give any of our customers a nasty surprise after they have purchased one of our services!
Online divorces are quicker and easier
The main reason that online divorces are quicker is because it is more efficient.
The actual divorce process is identical although Express Divorce uses the HMCTS online service so there is actually less physical paperwork which is greener too!
There are time savings in face to face time with a high street solicitor as well as traveling to and from their office. You will not need to work your schedule around when a solicitor can make themselves available
We have endeavoured to make our divorce process as efficient as possible to cut out any unneeded phone calls or emails.
Our paperwork is downloaded directly rather than posted so you don’t need to wait or worry about when it will arrive.
Online divorces are less stressful
The online divorce process is, by design, more likely to pick up mistakes and issues with the application.
Data entry errors are captured live so the process is not held up.
A typical mistake is a petitioner not realising certain minimum and maximum time limits for certain stages.
How long would my online divorce take?
The whole online divorce process should take approximately 6 months
You can expect to go through the following steps in your divorce:
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- The Petition
- Application for Conditional Order (previously known as decree nisi): This normally takes between 9 – 12 weeks depending on how long the court takes to consider and then grant it. This is the longest stage in the divorce.
- Application for Decree Absolute: In the UK the Petitioner must wait a minimum of 6 weeks and 1 clear day after the date of the Conditional Order (previously known as decree nisi) before they can apply for the Decree Absolute. The application for Final Divorce Order (previously known as decree absolute)is a simple 1 page application form. Once submitted to the court, the Petitioner should normally receive their Final Divorce Order (previously known as decree absolute)within 1-2 weeks.
It is very unlikely that you would ever have to attend court unless a judge wishes to query the agreement that you have reached
Why choose Express Divorce over other online providers?
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- All online divorce site offer relatively similar services, however, Express Divorce uses experienced solicitors to supervise all divorces
- Express Divorce is cheaper than other sites for both DIY or managed divorces.
- For Managed Divorce, the entire divorce documentation is drafted by a senior matrimonial solicitor who will then see the process through court. This is the best value managed divorce service there is in the UK.
- Express Divorce does not outsource services to 3rd party solicitors unlike the competition.