What was the old divorce law?
In the past, getting divorced meant giving specific reasons – such as adultery or unreasonable behaviour. If you were separated for two years, you could apply without mentioning any reason as long as your partner agreed. If you couldn’t get permission from your partner, you’d have to wait until you had been separated for five years to get an uncontested divorce.
What is the new divorce law?
Now, it is much simpler. All either person must say is that their marriage has irretrievably broken down. There is absolutely no need to assign blame or prove fault.
Both people can apply jointly for a divorce, as well as individually. After issue, they must wait at least 20 weeks until they can proceed to the next step and apply for the conditional order, and then a further 6 weeks to the final order which ends the marriage. You may still have other issues outstanding such as the division of assets.
