How Long a Divorce Takes. A divorce in Washington takes at least 91 days. Washington has a 90-day cooling-off period preventing people from getting quick divorces during brief fits of anger. Do not expect YOUR divorce to be over in 91 days.
You do not need your spouse's signature for a divorce in Washington. Washington is a no-fault state, which means that both spouses need not agree to the divorce for the court to grant it.
How Does the Court Usually Divide Property? A court in Washington State will usually a) award each party his or her own separate property and b) divide the net value of the parties' community property 50/50.
Washington prioritizes the needs of the child, and there are many scenarios in which evenly shared custody works best for the child. Washington does not have a specific law that gives a 50/50 custody presumption. However, the state does promote joint custody in many cases.
Complete the “Notice of Discontinuance” Petition To cancel your divorce petition, you will need to complete and file a “Notice of Discontinuance” with the court where your divorce was initially filed. This document informs the court that you and your spouse have decided not to proceed with the divorce.
To ask for custody, you must open a case with the superior court where you live or where the other parent lives. It may be a stand-alone custody case or a divorce, legal separation, annulment or parentage (paternity) case. After filing the initial paperwork, serve the other parent to officially notify them.
Filing for Child Custody in Washington: 5 Steps Step 1: Determine your case type. Step 2: Complete forms. Step 3: Open your case. Step 4: Serve the other parent. Step 5: Wait for the other parent to respond. Preparing for what comes next.
To sign over custody, legal parents can draft a parenting plan giving sole legal and physical custody to one parent. In the U.S., you must have the plan approved by a court. In most other countries, court approval is optional. If you don't seek court approval, at least sign the agreement in front of a notary.
Many Washington State courts have a public access terminal in the courthouse where you can view JIS public record case information such as an index of filed cases and a list of documents filed in each case. Contact your local court to see if they have a public access terminal.
When either party requests maintenance or other financial relief in a divorce, each spouse must submit a financial declaration. Financial declarations are fill-in-the-blank forms the state has created, and you can download one from the Washington Court Forms Website under Family Law > Divorce > Divorce (Dissolution).