Do I Have To Have All Agreements To File For Divorce In California?
From all the calls we get everyday about California divorce, one of the most commonly asked questions is, “Do we have to have all our agreements in place before filing for divorce”?
So here is the answer. It does not matter whether you have your agreements or no agreements at all because to “file for divorce” requires very little information. The initial forms that are used to file for divorce in California don’t require you know anything about the agreements in your case.
When you file for divorce, the initial paperwork requires very little; mostly statistical data such as:
- The Parties names and address
- Date of Marriage and Date of Separation
- Children’s names and date of birth
- Reason for filing for divorce (irreconcilable differences is only option)
- Basic idea of child custody ( full or joint custody – no specific requests)
- Will there be a request for spousal support
- And that’s about it!
I always tell people when they call our office that it is pretty scary how little information you need to file for divorce. Keep in mind that these are just the initial documents to open the case with the court. All the details come later down the road as part of the process.
Most of our clients do not have any agreements in place when they start the divorce process. All they know is that they don’t want to hire an attorney and spends thousands of dollars and they are at least someone willing to work towards an agreement in their divorce case.
When you decide to move forward with our company to file for divorce, we will normally send you a short questionnaire requesting the information stated above and complete your initial divorce papers the same day to have them to you for signature. The court even accepts fax or email signatures!
That is how easy it is to file for divorce in California.
For more information please call us at 661-281-0266 for a free phone consultation.
