Procedure to Initiate a Divorce in Illinois

The process of divorce is made up of two principal stages—the initiation of the divorce process and the finalization of it. While many individuals place a significant emphasis on the initiation of the divorce process, the crux of the matter lies in finalization, which officially dissolves your marriage. The process of filing for divorce simply kicks off your divorce case with the court, whereas finalization, being a more complex task, involves your paperwork being scrutinized by the Judge. When filing, the court staff merely accepts your paperwork and your payment, even if the paperwork is incorrect or incomplete. This is why the majority of online divorce services focus mainly on helping you prepare the paperwork for filing, offering guarantees that their paperwork will be accepted for filing. What about assistance in actually finalizing your divorce? Many don't offer this, but our website does.

Step-by-step Guide – Initiating Divorce in Illinois

To initiate a divorce in Illinois, you’ll need to submit a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where either you or your spouse resides. Determining which court to file your divorce case with requires answering a few questions. Are you or your spouse residents of Illinois? Have either of you lived in Illinois for at least 90 days before filing? If both of you live in Illinois, in what county does the Respondent reside? In what county did you both live when you separated? Answering these questions will help you determine where to file your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
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Each Circuit Court may have its own requirements and may necessitate unique forms and documents to be filed along with the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. But before you file your Petition, there are many factors to consider. For example, will your divorce be contested or uncontested? Will your spouse be cooperative? Do you know your spouse's current location? Your responses to these questions will influence how your case progresses through the court.

Finalizing Your Divorce in Illinois

The ultimate goal of the process is to finalize your divorce. However, this can be a tedious, time-consuming, and costly venture unless you are equipped with the right information. There may be several steps between filing your divorce and finalizing it, depending on a variety of factors such as your spouse’s level of cooperation or if the court is required to make decisions for you.
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Even in a straightforward, uncontested divorce case, finalizing your divorce can pose challenges if your Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage is not accurately drafted or deemed satisfactory and legally sufficient. Many people enlist the help of website companies or non-attorney service providers for document preparation. In Illinois, judges may not finalize a poorly drafted Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage. If a judge suspects that you received your paperwork from a non-attorney, the judge may require you to appear at a court hearing and answer questions about your documents and their origin.
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Since the average individual places emphasis on filing (starting the divorce with the court), non-attorney website companies often exploit consumers because it seems logical to think that initiating the divorce is the most crucial step. A careful review of such companies' websites reveals that they only guarantee their documents will be accepted for filing. But, as stated here, it's the Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage that actually ends your marriage. After reading this page, hopefully, you understand that FINALIZING your divorce is what's most important. This website can assist you in not only filing your divorce but also in finalizing it.

Opt for the Ease of Illinois Divorce Online

You can use Illinois Divorce Online to complete your divorce 100% online, or you can use it to receive all your paperwork that you sign and mail to the court. Either way, your paperwork is prepared by a duly licensed Illinois attorney, ensuring your documents will be legally accurate and complete. You won’t have to make any visits to the courthouse or appear before a judge when you allow us to e-file your case for you. If you decide to file the paperwork yourself, you should not have to appear before a judge to answer questions about where you received your paperwork.
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Our process is straightforward. You simply answer a series of questions online, and an Illinois Divorce Online attorney reviews your answers and prepares all your divorce paperwork for you. The paperwork includes not only the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage but also your Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage. In addition, the online attorney prepares step-by-step instructions that you can use to finalize your uncontested divorce with your local court. But if you prefer, you and your spouse can sign and notarize your paperwork online and have the case attorney electronically file your case with the court for you. In this scenario, you don’t have to print a single piece of paper, and you and your spouse can sign and notarize your Illinois divorce from anywhere.

What are the costs?

Divorce in Illinois is a two-phase process. The total cost of the First Step service is $195 or two payments of $99. In the First Step, you receive a Case Number from the court.
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To finalize your divorce in Illinois, you must complete a second action with the court. This may include submitting your signed Marital Settlement Agreement and/or appearing for a prove-up hearing, depending on your county’s procedures. We offer an additional service to prepare and file all required finalization documents for $169.

The State of Illinois charges a court filing fee that ranges from approximately $290 to $400 depending on the county. Some counties may also charge a small convenience fee for online payments. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify.
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For a more detailed explanation of all our services and divorce costs see: https://www.illinoisdivorceonline.net/divorce-in-illinois/cost-of-divorce-in-illinois