Hawaii Certificate of Service Order for Pre-Decree Relief, Original Order - Notice

How long does a divorce take in Hawaii? Once the divorce paperwork has been filed in court, it usually takes 30 to 90 days for a divorce to be final. The start to finish time of the divorce may vary depending on the caseload of the court and the availability of judges to sign the final Decree of Divorce.

Uncontested cases in Hawaii are very simple. This is a no-fault divorce state, and there is no period of separation requirement. Divorce becomes final upon the filing of the divorce decree. The filing fee for initiating a divorce action is $200 without children and $250 with children (including stepchildren).

A motion for Pre-Decree Relief, and the appropriate attachments, are used to request every type of available relief in a case where a Divorce Decree has not yet entered. For example, you are wanting a divorce but need temporary custody arrangements made while the divorce is happening.

Preparing Hawaii Divorce Forms You can obtain the forms online through the Hawaii State Judiciary website. Keep in mind, the forms that are required vary from island to island, so you'll need to select the island where you live (or, if you've already been served, the island where the papers were filed).

Pre-decree includes anything that occurs prior to the finalization of the divorce. It can include mediation, evaluations, drafting of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, Drafting the Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage, drafting the Marital Settlement Agreement.

"Post-decree motions" are filed when a divorced (or legally separated) couple engages in "post-decree litigation," which basically means a couple is fighting about issues after the final divorce decree, and they're headed back to court to resolve them.

A divorce record is available from the clerk's office in the family court where the divorce was decided. To obtain divorce records in person, a requester must visit the family court of interest.