Illinois Divorce Forms and Papers
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Download Illinois divorce papers to choose one or both spouses to file for a dissolution of marriage. One of them must have been a state resident for at least 3 months, and you must have been separated for 6 months or more. In any case, the while process will take at least six months, and, in order to make divorcing without attorneys workable, the spouses, even though they are divorcing, must be able to work together in a businesslike manner. One of the spouses must be the one to do the actual filing of the divorce; it makes no difference which one. His or her first step is to download a standardized packet of forms. There are numerous free online sources for these forms, so there is no need to pay a fee.
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How to File
In Illinois, there are only six forms involved, including the Domestic Relations Cover Sheet, the Divorce Petition, the Disclosure Statement, and the 2-Year Period of Separation Waiver. If there are children, the Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act is relevant, and the Affidavit of Military Service comes into play if one of the spouses is in the military.
The filing spouse must then fill out the appropriate forms and file them with his or her county’s Court Clerk’s Office. The fee was $223 at this writing, but it fluctuates. You must then take copies of these forms to your spouse, along with 2 other forms; the Notice and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Summons and the Waiver of Process. Your spouse must then register them at the same Clerk’s office; there is no additional fee.
There are now two more forms that you and your spouse must fill out together which will largely define the financial basis of the divorce; they are the Marital Settlement Agreement and the Judgment. If there are children, there is also the Joint Parenting Agreement (Also see the Child Support Calculator to estimate payment). After they’re completed, you then file these documents, too, with the clerk. You can now apply for a hearing date, and when you are informed of the date, you, in turn, must officially notify your spouse of that date via a Notice of Hearing form.
When you go to your Court hearing, you must bring the Judgment and the Judgment Decree of Dissolution of Marriage. If you did everything to the Judge’s satisfaction, and there are no other issues, the Judge will sign the form. Now, to complete the divorce, all you need do is file that form.
Individual Forms
- Stipulation – To Waive 2-Year Statutory Period of Separation
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