Washington Divorce & Separation

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Jul 14, 2021Fact Checked

Washington, like every state, has unique laws and procedures governing legal separations and divorces in the state. It’s natural that you might have some questions about these unique laws. What are the legal requirements for separation or divorce in the state of Washington? Are there expedited divorce proceedings available in the state? Is mediation a requirement before you can get a Washington divorce? What is the law on annulments in Washington? Find the answers to your Washington divorce questions here.

Washington Legal Separation:

To the extent that a legal separation will be most conducive to settling marital issues amicably, separations are allowed in Washington. A written agreement that states the need for separate maintenance, disposes of property appropriately, and provides for support for children will generally be allowed.

Grounds for Divorce/Fault – No Fault:

Washington is a no-fault state. This means that the only required ground for dissolution in the state of Washington is the “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” Unless the other party denies that the marriage is irretrievably broken, or there is evidence of coercion or other fraud, the court will grant the dissolution. For some general information about this topic, see our article The Divorce Process: From Separation to Final Judgment.

Residency/Where to File for Divorce:

In order to file, Washington divorce courts require that the filing party be either 1) resident of the state of Washington, 2) a member of the armed forces stationed in Washington, or 3) married to a party who meets requirements #1 and/or #2. Before acting on the case, the court will allow 90 days to elapse from the date of a petition for dissolution.

Availability of Simplified or Special Divorce Procedures:

The filing party must file a petition for dissolution of marriage specifying the parties’ agreement to divorce. If the divorce terms are uncontested, the non-filing party may fill out a separate portion of the petition. After this has occurred, the court may issue an expedited divorce decree.

Washington Divorce/Child Support/Child Custody Lawyers:
Find an experienced Washington Divorce Attorney at AttorneyPages.com
Find an experienced Washington Child Support/Custody Lawyer at AttorneyPages.com
How a Family Lawyer Can Help

Divorce Mediation in Washington:

Some matters benefit from being contested in a mediation session rather than a more acrimonious and stressful courtroom setting. If this is the case, a mediation session may be called to resolve these issues. Mediation sessions are frequently utilized when children are involved in order to minimize the negative impact the parents’ acrimony and discord might have on the children.

Washington Annulment:

Annulment in Washington differs from divorce or legal separation proceedings in that the annulment declares the marriage to have been invalid, such that it never properly existed in the first place. Thus, getting divorced or legally separated is unnecessary.

Annulments are granted under a very limited set of circumstances: failure of a party to give voluntary legal consent at the time of the marriage ceremony (because of force, fraud, either party being under the age of18, suffering from mental illness, or being under the influence of drugs or other incapacitating substance), the inability of a party to consummate the marriage with sexual intercourse, bigamy, or incest.

Washington Online Divorce Services:

LegalZoom.com – An online documentation service that helps users file for divorce.
CompleteCase.com– Offers an affordable way to file for uncontested divorces online.

Washington Divorce Laws: Click below to find the Washington Divorce laws you’re looking for:
Washington Divorce Law, Lawyers & Attorneys
Washington Divorce & Finances
Washington Child Custody & Washington Child Support
Washington Divorce Laws & Resources

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

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