How do I file divorce papers, if I have had no contact with my husband and he lives in another state?
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How do I file divorce papers, if I have had no contact with my husband and he lives in another state?
Asked on December 23, 2012 under Family Law, Michigan
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
You can file your petition for dissolution of marriage in your state and have your husband served in his state by a process server. Use a process server in or near the city where your husband lives or works. You can find process servers listed under attorney services in the Yellow Pages or online.
If you don't know your husband's current address, the process server can do a skip trace.
If you have no idea as to your husband's whereabouts, he can be served by publication. Service by publication is running a notice in the legal notices section of a newspaper of your petition for dissolution of marriage for the period of time required by the court in which you are filing your petition for dissolution of marriage. The required period of time for the notice to run in the legal notices section of a newspaper for valid service by publication varies from state to state. Your court clerk can tell you what the required time period is in your state. Service by publication is effective even if your husband never sees the notice in the newspaper.
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