You want to file for divorce, and you don’t want it to take very long. You just want your relationship to be over. The faster you can put this stage of your life behind you, the better.
If so, you should know that Indiana law establishes a mandatory 60-day waiting period. This means that there is no scenario in which you can get divorced any faster than 60 days. The court cannot schedule the final hearing any sooner.
Realistically, it will probably take longer than 60 days. For instance, even when you file a divorce petition, you have to give your spouse time to respond. Maybe they will respond and sign it immediately, but maybe it will take them a week or two. You can’t proceed until they either sign the petition or the court starts default divorce proceedings.
What else could make the divorce take longer than the minimum of 60 days?
A contested divorce
One of the biggest questions to ask is whether or not it’s going to be a contested divorce. This just means that the two of you don’t agree on all of the details. Perhaps you need the court to help you divide assets or split up child custody time, for example.
In an uncontested divorce, things sometimes go more quickly because the two of you can just agree on how you want to proceed. But if you need the court to make a ruling, then they have to set up a hearing and issue a court order. All of this adds additional time to the overall divorce case, and it is somewhat dependent on the court’s schedule and availability.
These are just a few things to consider as you move toward divorce, especially if you want the process to go quickly and smoothly. Be sure you are well aware of all of your legal options.
