Washington State Divorce Information

Yes, you can still use Washington Divorce Online if you have children. As with other areas, you and your spouse must be on the same page. This includes custody arrangements, visitation, child support, and other topics.

Washington has a 90-day waiting period for a divorce to become final. This clock starts ticking once the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is filed and served to the non-filing spouse. If both spouses sign the Petition, the countdown then begins upon filing. This is the minimum time you will have to wait. It often takes longer if there are disputes about the division of property, child custody, support, and other issues. During this waiting period, the court may issue temporary orders to address custody, support, property use, and more.

While the mandatory 90 day waiting period is still in effect, drafting of documents can be compleated in as little as 3 business days.

You can file for divorce in your or your spouse's county. Alternatively, you can file your paperwork in Lincoln County or Wahkiakum County, even if neither resides there. However, both spouses must agree to file the case in Lincoln or Wahkiakum County.

To file for divorce in Washington, you or your partner must currently reside in the state.

If there are disagreements between spouses, the case may require mediation. In mediation, both spouses come together with an outside third-party facilitator to reach accords on any lingering conflicts. This gives both parties the chance to work together to come to a resolution that works for everyone.

Yes, Washington is a community property state. This means the state presumes all assets and property acquired during a marriage is the property of both spouses. There are exceptions, notably gifts or inheritances, but generally, the state considers everything else as being owned by both spouses. This also applies to any debt that accrues during a marriage. This doesn’t mean that all assets are divided 50/50 in a divorce. Properties and liabilities are divided in a “fair and equitable” way. The goal is for both spouses to emerge from a divorce on stable, equitable footing.