Divorce Where Spouse Address Unknown (Dispense With Service)
A full lawyer managed divorce service for people who wish to proceed with a divorce but who have lost touch with their spouse and have been unable to locate them. This is a complete service from a fully accredited family law firm, who will manage your divorce from start to finish for a low fixed fee. The service includes everything you would expect to get from a high street solicitor.
£479
Who is this service suitable for?
To qualify to apply for divorce in England or Wales you must either:
- Currently live in England or Wales ( and be of any nationality), OR
- Live overseas but have a strong link to England or Wales (e.g. born in UK, have UK passport)
It does not matter which country you got married in - you can still divorce here.
You must have been married for 12 months before you can start a divorce.
If you, your spouse or your children are not UK nationals then please call our helpline for further advice.
What is the legal process?
Our partner law firm will manage your whole case from start to finish. The process for this type of divorce (where you do not know your spouse's address) is a little more complicated than for an uncontested divorce. Basically there is some extra work require at the beginning to build together enough evidence to convince the court that we have made every effort to locate your spouse before starting the divorce.
1) Tracing Agent
If you have not already done so, we will instruct a tracing agent to undertake a number of standard searches (council tax database, electoral register, credit reference agencies etc) to try and locate a current address for your spouse. The tracing agent fees of £75 will be payable in addition to our fixed lawyer fee.
2) Other Enquiries
We will work with you to compile a file of evidence to show that we have exhausted all reasonable avenues in searching for your spouse (family and friends, facebook, ads local paper, employer enquiry etc).
3) Dispense with Service application
We will complete a court application form for dispensing with service and draft a divorce petition.
4) Submit Petition
We submit the deemed service application and divorce petition document to the court. At this point you need to pay a £550 court fee (unless you are exempt due to low income).
5) Decree Nisi
Once the court approves the dispense with service application, we will apply to the court for a Decree Nisi. A judge will review the application and provided everything is in order then the divorce will be approved in principal and the Decree Nisi issued.
6) Decree Absolute
The Decree Absolute is the final certificate that legally ends the marriage. We can apply for this on your behalf 6 weeks after the Decree Nisi. We will provide you with a copy of this final certificate and you are then officially and legally divorced.
What is included in the service?
This comprehensive service includes all of the following:
Qualified lawyers will open a case file for you and will manage the whole process from start to finish. They will provide legal advice on matters relating directly to the divorce process (This does not include advise on financial or child arrangements).
We handle all communication to and from the court. We will also correspond with your spouse (and/or their solicitor). We will provide you with regular email updates as the case progresses.
We provide, complete and check all of the forms that the court require. All you need to do is to provide the basic information for your case such as personal and marriage details.
How much does this service cost?
How much does this service cost?
This is a fixed fee service, the following costs are payable:
- Our lawyer's fixed fee for this service is £479 payable when you order.
- We will hire a tracing agent to try to locate your spouse, this costs around £75.
- There is a court fee of £593 for submitting the main divorce application to court.
- A further court fee of £50 for applying to proceed without your spouse's signature
The above costs add up to a total of £1172 (including VAT).
How long will this service take?
An uncontested divorce can be done in around 4 to 5 months. This service will take a little longer, around 5 to 7 months, due to the extra time taken to collect enough evidence to show the court that we have tried to locate your spouse before we can successfully apply for deemed service, and proceed with the rest of the divorce process.
Who provides this service?
This service is managed from start to finish by a well respected law firm with a strong specialist team of experienced family lawyers, unlike other online divorce websites who use unqualified "case managers".
For your protection this service will be fully managed by a specialist family law firm that is accredited and regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.
As the leading divorce support website in the UK, Wikivorce is in a position to select the very best family law firms to provide our legal services. Our partner law firms have been hand picked by Wikivorce based on assessment of their knowledge and expertise in family law cases including divorce, child matters and financial settlements. We carefully monitor customer satsifaction to ensure a quality service.
Our specialist family law firms are all Lexcel accredited which is the Law Society's quality mark for excellence in legal practice management and client care.
Our solicitors are committed to providing a high quality professional service. We have worked with each of them to implement efficient, modern IT systems so that the lawyers can provide you with regular updates on the progress of your case and provides peace of mind that your case is in good hands.
Why should I choose Wikivorce?
There are clear benefits to using the Wikivorce service compared to other options:
Unlike other online divorce companies, our services are fully managed by high street firms of solicitors, who are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. They have Lexcel accreditation which is the Law Society's mark of quality and excellence. You also have the added protection of Professional indemnity insurance and the Legal Ombudsman.
Our fixed fee services are far less expensive than your local high street solicitor. There are several reasons for this. We have invested in developing very efficient IT systems, and we handle a large number of cases each year. As a social enterprise our main aim is to help people deal with this difficult life event, we are not driven by profit.
Whilst you can do a DIY divorce - it is a multi-step application process spanning several months and if there are any mistakes or delays in the application you could waste a lot of your own time having to chase the court. You also still have to pay the £593 court fee in a DIY divorce.
Divorce is about much more than the forms and legal paperwork. There are a huge number of questions and concerns that people have when they are suddenly faced with dealing with a relationship breakdown. Wikivorce is truly unique in providing you with 24 hour a day access to an active and caring support community to help you deal with these issues.
Our services have all been designed to be convenient and easy to access. Designed for busy people, we handle the whole process via email and over the telephone to fit around your lifestyle. So you can relax knowing you are in good hands. We provide regular updates on the progress of your case and our free helpline is available to support you throughout the process.
How do I get started?
To begin the process simply place an order online or speak to one of our expert advisors on our free telephone helpline.
1) Place Order
Click the "Order Now" button at the top of this page to place an order on our website. You can pay by debit or credit card, Paypal or bank transfer. If you have any questions about our service or if you want to order by phone, just call our helpline on: 01202 805020.
2) Questionnaire Sent Out
We will send you by email a very simple questionnaire to gather basic information about your, your spouse and your circumstances.
3) Return Questionnaire
You complete the questionnaire and return it to us. If your divorce has not yet started then we also need you to send us an original copy of your marriage certificate (if you have lost it and were married in the UK then you can order a new marriage certificate from the gov.uk website for a small fee).
4) Pay Court Fee
We will send you a link so that you can pay the appropriate court fee online using a debit/credit card, alternatively you can pay by bank transfer to the solicitor. if you are on a low income you may qualify for help with court fees by completing an EX160.
5) Lawyers Begin Work On Your Case
Once you have provided the completed questionnaire your lawyer can get started with your case. If you have any more questions about how to get started please call our helpline 01202 805020.
