Court staff cannot help you fill out your divorce documents. You must have your documents fully prepared to bring to the court when you are ready to file your divorce.
When you have filled out and printed off all your required documents, you will bring the originals and photocopies to the filing office at the court where you are filing for divorce. It is your responsibility to make copies of your documents. Staff are not responsible for doing this for you. There is a fee for using the photocopiers at the court.
You will provide all your documents and copies to the clerk working at the filing office and pay your filing fee or file your waiver of fees with proof of income. The court accepts cash, debit, or major credit card for fee payments.
Some courts require that you book an appointment to file your divorce. In other courts, filing is done on a walk-in basis at the filing counter. Filing counters are usually first-come, first-served – there may be a line-up at any given time. Don’t expect that you will be in and out in a few minutes. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to properly file your documents. You should call ahead to see how divorces are filed at the court in your jurisdiction.
If you are filing a Joint Application for Divorce, it is helpful for both you and your spouse to come to the court together to sign and file your documents.
If you have documents that must be sworn or affirmed – like Affidavits, or Statements of Income, Expenses or Property – you can usually do this at the courthouse. Just make sure you have photo ID with you.
It is your responsibility to update the court if your contact information changes. This includes your phone number(s) and designated address (the address at which you ask to have court documents sent). Please contact the court right away whenever there is a change in your information. You should also notify the court if you had a lawyer but become self-represented, if you change lawyers, or if you get a lawyer after starting the court process on your own. You can speak with or hire a lawyer to represent you at any time through this process, even if you started the process on your own, without representation.
If you become aware of the other party’s information changing, you should update the court about that too.