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In the realm of divorce proceedings, there are two primary stages. The initial one involves filing for divorce, while the latter pertains to concluding or finalizing your divorce. Many individuals concentrate mainly on the filing aspect, however, the crucial step is the finalization of your divorce. This is the point where your marriage is officially dissolved. Filing for divorce is simply initiating your divorce case with the court, whereas finalization can be more challenging as your paperwork undergoes judicial review. In contrast, when filing, court staff merely accept your payment and paperwork, even if it may be incorrect or incomplete. This is why most online divorce websites focus on helping you prepare your filing paperwork, offering guarantees that their paperwork will be accepted for filing. But what about aiding you in securing your divorce? They fall short. However, our website excels in this regard.
To initiate a divorce in New Jersey, you must submit a Complaint about Divorce to the relevant County Clerk of the Superior Court. Determining which court to file your divorce case with requires answering a few questions. First, are you or your spouse a New Jersey resident? Have either of you been residents for at least a year, and do any of the following apply: 1) your wedding took place, or 2) you resided in New Jersey as a married couple; or, have you or your spouse resided in New Jersey for at least a year and your grounds for divorce occurred in New Jersey; or, are both you AND your spouse New Jersey residents (no matter the duration) and your grounds for divorce took place in New Jersey? Who is the New Jersey resident among you? If both, in which county does the Defendant reside? In which county were you both residing when you separated? Your answers to these questions will help guide where to file your Complaint about Divorce.
Each Superior Court may have specific requirements, including unique forms and documents that need to be filed alongside the Complaint about Divorce. However, before you file any Complaint about Divorce, there are many other considerations, like whether your divorce will be contested or uncontested. Will your spouse cooperate? Do you know your spouse's location? Your answers will influence how your case will be processed through the court. There are different legal and case processing prerequisites you must fulfill based on your responses to the questions above. For instance, if you do not know your spouse's location, you will need to take additional steps to try to locate your spouse and to provide notice before the Judge will finalize your divorce.
The ultimate objective is to finalize your divorce. However, getting to this point can be arduous, time-consuming, and costly without the right knowledge. As mentioned earlier, there may be several steps between filing your divorce and finalizing it. The additional steps may be due to factors such as your spouse not cooperating, or you and your spouse requesting the court to make some or all decisions for you.
Even in an uncomplicated, uncontested divorce case, finalizing your divorce can be a hassle if your Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage and Judgment of Divorce are not properly drafted or considered legally sufficient. Many individuals engage the services of website companies or non-attorney service providers who assist with document preparation. In New Jersey, judges will not approve an insufficient or poorly drafted Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage and Judgment of Divorce. If a Judge suspects you obtained your documents from a non-attorney, you will likely need to attend a court hearing and answer questions about your documents and their source.
Because the average person emphasizes filing (initiating the divorce with the court), non-attorney website companies exploit consumers, as it seems logical to perceive starting the divorce as the most crucial step. A careful review of such company websites reveals they only guarantee their documents will be accepted for filing. But, as noted here, it's the Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage and Judgment of Divorce that officially ends your marriage and involves the Judge. After reading this page, you should understand that FINALIZING your divorce is of paramount importance. This website can assist you in not only filing your divorce but also finalizing it.
You can use New Jersey Divorce Online to conclude your divorce entirely online, or you can use it to receive all your paperwork that you sign and submit to the court. Either way, rest assured that your paperwork is prepared by a duly licensed New Jersey attorney and that it will be legally accurate and complete. You won't need to make any courthouse visits or appear before a Judge when you let us E-file your case for you. If you decide to file the paperwork yourself, you won't need to appear before a Judge to answer questions about where you got your paperwork. Our documents indicate they were prepared by a duly licensed New Jersey attorney.
Our website process is straightforward. You simply answer a series of questions online, and a New Jersey Divorce Online attorney reviews your responses and prepares all your divorce paperwork for you. The paperwork includes not only the Complaint about Divorce but your Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage and Judgment of Divorce as well. Additionally, the online attorney prepares step-by-step instructions that you can use to finalize your uncontested divorce with your local court. 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 New Jersey divorce from anywhere.
Divorce in New Jersey is a two-step process. The total cost of the First Step service is $195 or two payments of $99. In the First Step, you receive a Docket Number from the court.To finalize your divorce in New Jersey, you must complete a second action with the court, known as a Case Management Conference (CMC), but only after you have a Docket Number. We offer an additional service to prepare and file the CMC and related documents for $169
.The State of New Jersey charges two court fees: $300 for the Docket Number and $25 for the CMC. The state adds a modest convenience fee for payment processing.
For a more detailed explanation of all our services and divorce costs, see: https://www.newjerseydivorceonline.com/divorce-in-newjersey/cost-of-divorce-in-newjersey.html