Frequently Asked Questions

The cost varies depending on your circumstances and where you will be applying for a divorce. In addition to our fees and applicable taxes, filing fees are payable to the Court. For more details, please visit the home page and choose the province in which you want to apply for divorce.

The length of time it takes for your divorce to become final depends largely on your unique circumstances. In our experience, an uncontested divorce usually takes four to six months to be finalized.

Please keep in mind that due to factors out of our control, we cannot guarantee how much time the courts will take to process your divorce. As such, it is recommended that you do not plan any significant events, such as a wedding, without your divorce first being finalized.

*Covid-19 caused many Divorce Registries to either close for a period or to significantly reduce staff involved with the filing and administering of divorce applications. This led to significant delays and it will be some time before the registries are caught up. Expect delays throughout your divorce process.

To answer this question, we have included the relevant section from the Divorce Act (Canada). Our service is available only if you want to proceed with a divorce based on a one year separation.

"8. (1) A court of competent jurisdiction may, on application by either or both spouses, grant a divorce to the spouse or spouses on the grounds that there has been a breakdown of their marriage.

(2) Breakdown of a marriage is established only if:

1. the spouses have lived separate and apart for at least one year immediately preceding the determination of the divorce proceeding and were living separate and apart at the commencement of the proceeding; or

2. the spouse against whom the divorce proceeding is brought has, since celebration of the marriage,

a. committed adultery, or

b. treated the other spouse with physical or mental cruelty of such a kind as to render intolerable the continued cohabitation of the spouses."

When both you and your spouse are in agreement and you both are willing to sign the divorce documents, then some provinces allow you to proceed with a joint divorce. This eliminates the need for service of the documents upon your spouse and can save you time and money.

Please keep in mind that you both must be willing to sign the divorce documents throughout the process. If one spouse changes his or her mind after the initial joint divorce documents are signed and filed with the Court, we cannot assist you and will recommend that you use the services of our partner, Fairway Divorce. They are experts in divorce mediation across Canada since 2006.

In an uncontested “sole” divorce, one spouse (called the Applicant, Claimant, Petitioner or Plaintiff) signs and files the documents with the Court. The other spouse (called the Respondent or Defendant) does not have to sign documents, but must be “served” by a third party and has a period of time to respond to, or “contest”, the divorce. If the Respondent (or Defendant) does not respond to the divorce, then the Court considers the divorce to be uncontested.

Please note that we can only assist couples seeking a joint divorce or uncontested sole divorce. Therefore, if your divorce becomes contested, we cannot assist you and will recommend that you use the services of our partner, Fairway Divorce. They are experts in divorce mediation across Canada since 2006.

Generally, your spouse will either need to sign the divorce documents or be “served”. The divorce documents can be served on your spouse at home, at work or any other place. If you cannot locate your spouse, you will need to show the Court that you have tried to locate your spouse.

You might first try searching on the internet at such sites as www.canada411.com or www.yellowpages.ca. You could also try contacting any friends or family members of your spouse. You might also want to contact a skip tracing service (look in your phone book or search the Web for one near you). If you still cannot locate your spouse, you may need to talk to a lawyer about your available options.

To use our service, you must have a current address for your spouse.

To answer this question, we have included the relevant sections of the Divorce Act (Canada).

Section 11(1)(b) of the Divorce Act (Canada) states,

In a divorce proceeding, it is the duty of the court to satisfy itself that reasonable arrangements have been made for the support of any children of the marriage, having regard to the applicable guidelines, and, if such arrangements have not been made, to stay the granting of the divorce until such arrangements are made.

Section 2(1) defines a "child of the marriage" as:

"child of the marriage" means a child of two spouses or former spouses who, at the material time,

a) is under the age of majority and who has not withdrawn from their charge, or

(b) is the age of majority or over and under their charge but unable, by reason of illness, disability or other cause, to withdraw from their charge or to obtain the necessaries of life.

Section 2(1) also defines "age of majority" as:

"age of majority", in respect of a child, means the age of majority as determined by the laws of the province where the child ordinarily resides, or, if the child ordinarily resides outside of Canada, eighteen years of age

What all this means is that there is a connection between the payment of child support and the granting of a divorce. In order for us to be able to assist you, the amount of child support being paid must meet or exceed the applicable table amount set out in the Federal Child Support Guidelines. We also need to have copies of current (within one year) written agreements or court orders setting out your arrangements.

Our service is available to obtain your divorce without a separation agreement provided you are content to proceed without one. If one or both of you disagree with the terms of the divorce, or if you have children of the marriage under the age of majority, it may be helpful to you to have a separation agreement drafted. If so, we recommend our partner, Fairway Divorce. They are experts at helping couples attain their separation agreements and have been doing so successfully, since 2006, across Canada.

No. Our service is available only for obtaining a divorce. If you have not resolved your other issues and you want to make additional claims, such as division of assets, support or child custody, you may want to discuss your options with our trusted partner, Fairway Divorce. Please keep in mind that if these issues are not dealt with prior to obtaining your divorce, you may not be able to make any future claims. For further information on this, you should speak with Fairway Divorce. They are experts across Canada at resolving issues such as these, since 2006.

Original Certificate of Marriage. You will need your original Certificate of Marriage or certified copy of the Registration of Marriage. The certificate you received at the church (or any other place you were married) will not be accepted by the provincial court's divorce registry.

You can obtain your Certificate of Marriage from VitalCertificates.ca if married in Canada or from USVitalRecords.org if married in the United States.

If you were married outside of Canada or the United States, you need to apply for your original Certificate of Marriage or certified copy of the Registration of Marriage from the equivalent of Vital Statistics in that country.

If your Certificate of Marriage is not in English, you will need to have it translated. Each province has its own requirements for how the Certificate of Marriage is to be translated. Contact us for more information.

Separation Agreement or Court Order (if any). If you have a separation agreement, any court orders or any other written agreements, which sets out the details of your separation and/or any children of the marriage, you may be required to forward us a copy. These will assist us in preparing your divorce documents. Please do not send us the original.

If your question is not answered above, please feel free to contact us.

Disclaimer

Although the majority of divorces in Canada are uncontested and do not require the use of a lawyer, there are some couples we simply cannot help. We are not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice. If you have been unable to resolve any issues regarding division of assets or property, spousal support, child custody, access to children, child support or any other legal issue, it is important that you discuss your options with a family lawyer.