The decision to end a marriage is a tough one, regardless of the reasons behind it. People going through it are often subjected to immense stress, anxiety, and other emotions. In addition, the divorce process itself often puts even more pressure on couples. However, there are ways to make it a little bit easier.
Most people decide to go for an uncontested divorce as it is the least stressful method. It can also be relatively inexpensive and quick. These are important factors for couples who want to get through the divorce process and continue living their lives.
That is why this article focuses on uncontested divorce and how to get divorce forms online in the state of Nebraska.
Contents
General Information to Consider
Filing for divorce in Nebraska has its characteristics. Couples should know them to avoid unnecessary stress and wasted time.
The state has specific residency requirements to be eligible for a divorce. At least one of the partners has to be a resident of Nebraska for a minimum of 1 year. However, there is an exception when you were married in the state, have been in a marriage for less than 1 year, and lived in the state throughout your marriage.
Nebraska is purely a no-fault state. It means that partners can initiate a divorce by stating that the marriage is irretrievably broken and there are no chances for reconciliation.
Even if the other spouse is against the dissolution of marriage, you only need to provide evidence that the marriage is broken. Usually, a personal testimony or testimony from family or friends should be sufficient.
Your divorce can be either contested or uncontested. Divorce is considered contested if partners can’t reach an agreement on matters such as property division, alimony, child custody, etc.
You can expect such a scenario to be highly complicated, leading to multiple court hearings. Moreover, you’ll need to hire a lawyer to represent you. As a result, you’ll have a long and more expensive divorce.
Alternatively, you can follow an uncontested scenario if you and your spouse can settle all the differences and terms before going to court. It is beneficial as partners can part on good terms while making the divorce more manageable. You can even do all the procedures without an attorney and partially online!
Divorce Forms Online Explained
Even spouses going for an uncontested divorce usually hire professional lawyers to assist them with the paperwork. It is a natural action, considering how intimidating divorce papers may be for most people. But this can ramp your uncontested divorce price up to $4,000-$8,000.
There are alternative ways to make your divorce more affordable. If you don’t want to hire an attorney, you can fill out all the papers yourself.
Nebraska has different documentation requirements for uncontested divorces for couples with and without children. It may be confusing, but online divorce companies can help you out.
These companies assist spouses by offering tools to generate suitable divorce documents that comply with local requirements. Their prices are also way more affordable than hiring an attorney.
Uncontested Divorce in Detail
Learn more about the steps required to go through an uncontested divorce in Nebraska.
Prepare Your Papers
If you prefer do-it-yourself divorce, you can acquire all the divorce forms from the Nebraska Judicial Branch website. Choose the ones that suit your case (a family with or without children) and carefully fill them out. Avoid any mistakes, or the court may make you do them again.
Another option is to hire an online divorce company to assist you. This way, you will reduce the risks of missing documents and save your time as it usually takes two days for the platform to generate your forms. Such a safety belt can surely alleviate some of the stress as well.
File Your Forms
This step is rather straightforward. You should make two copies of all the necessary filled-out documents and bring them to the district court clerk to file.
Keep in mind that each county might have slightly different requirements. So make sure to double-check everything with your clerk.
The next step is to pay the necessary filing fees. Alternatively, you can request a waiver. The court reviews your plea and approves it if you can’t afford to pay the fees.
Then, the clerk will create a file for your divorce case, and you’ll get a case number. If you want to know the judge’s name, you can request this information by contacting the clerk’s office.
Serve the Papers
Now you can serve papers to your partner. You have 6 months to do so, starting with the filing date. Let’s go into details:
- If your spouse hired a lawyer, you have to serve documents to them. If not, you can deliver them directly (in an uncontested divorce).
- You need to provide a Voluntary Appearance form to the respondent to sign and a copy of the complaint. This Voluntary Appearance serves as proof that the papers have been delivered and must be filed with the court.
- Another option is to prepare the Praecipe of Summons and hire a county sheriff to serve the papers.
Defendant has 30 days to respond after being served.
After filing the remaining documents, you can get the final hearing date. Contact your county clerk because different courts have different procedures. Make sure to notify your spouse about the hearing date.
Final Hearing
You need to arrive at the courthouse at the scheduled time. If you are unable to do so, notify the court in advance. Finally, you testify under oath, and the judge decides whether to grant you a divorce. If everything is fine, you receive a signed Decree of Dissolution.
Your divorce is not finalized until you wait 30 days after the hearing. You cannot marry for 6 months and 1 day from the date the Decree was signed.
Last Words
Getting a divorce in the state of Nebraska can be tricky. However, you can manage an uncontested divorce with the help of an online divorce company while saving money and time.
