This page organizes the recorded statewide starting rules and official sources for District of Columbia. Court location, local forms, fees, service, deadlines and individual eligibility still require confirmation before filing.
Source record reviewed: 2026-10-29 · Page updated: 2026-11-03 · Not attorney-certified legal advice
An amendment effective January 26, 2024 removed the previous separation waiting requirements. A statement by one spouse that they no longer wish to remain married may be a ground for divorce; service, response, hearing and judgment procedures are still required.
Classification and division of property and debts must be separately verified under local law.
Divorce Filing Path provides an intake roadmap and source links for this jurisdiction. Selected official PDF drafting is not currently offered for this state; do not purchase expecting state-form generation.
The general rule requires one spouse to have at least 6 months of bona fide DC residence before filing. A statutory exception applies to certain same-sex marriages performed in DC. Record actual dates and do not combine two people’s residence periods unless the controlling rule expressly allows it.
Use the official statewide source to locate the trial court or clerk. Confirm venue, the family-law filing location, accepted filing method, current fee and required local packet.
Check whether the state distinguishes regular, joint, simplified, summary, contested or uncontested procedures. Agreement alone does not prove eligibility for a shorter procedure.
Prepare legal names, marriage and separation dates, residence history, children’s information, income, expenses, assets, debts, requested relief and existing orders.
Complete only facts you know. Leave clerk, court, signature, notarization, service and later-event fields for the correct person and stage.
A draft or download is not a filed case. Follow the clerk’s instructions and record service or waiver only after the legally effective event occurs.
Use current financial, child-jurisdiction, parenting and support documents. Settlement terms should match the procedure and be reviewed before rights are waived.
A waiting or separation period does not itself end a marriage. Confirm entry and the effective date from the court’s signed or entered order.
A narrow exception concerns certain same-sex marriages performed in DC when the spouses cannot divorce where they live. Current law does not impose the former general separation period.
This intake question helps organize facts; it does not decide domicile, jurisdiction or venue for an individual case.
Open the official page and read the current instructions. A listed document may be conditional or require local additions.
Select the divorce-request form from the current official directory; do not assume a PDF based on the former separation ground applies.
Open official starting point ↗A proposed arrangement for the children’s care and parenting.
Open official starting point ↗Identify current family-court attachments based on the financial requests.
Open official starting point ↗Rules, forms, fees and local procedures can change. These links are the controlling starting points; the explanations on this site are preparation guidance, not a substitute for the current source.