Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Divorce definition

What does Divorce mean? Divorce is the court process that ends a marriage and allows remarriage. In practice it involves a divorce application and, often in parallel, financial remedies (ancillary relief) and child arrangements, which are separate. In England and Wales (Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020; Matrimonial Causes Act 1973), a no‑fault regime applies: a sole or joint application is made on the single ground of irretrievable breakdown, evidenced by a statement. The court issues a conditional order and, after the statutory minimum period, a final order (replacing decree nisi/absolute). In Scotland (Divorce (Scotland) Act 1976), irretrievable breakdown is proved by adultery, unreasonable behaviour, or...

Nullity petitions issued before 6 April 2022: filing requirements, marriage certificate, notice and acknowledgement (England and Wales)

Published by a LexisNexis Family expert

Practice notes

Practice Note

This Practice Note sets out the paperwork that must be filed when commencing proceedings for a decree of nullity (that is, an application for a matrimonial order). It applies to relevant applications issued before 6 April 202. It also explains steps where the marriage certificate is unavailable. It highlights the core documents, including the notice of proceeding and the acknowledgement of service.

From 6 April 2022, the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (DDSA 2020) came into force. Although DDSA 2020 does not alter the substantive law on nullity proceedings, it brings consequential procedural changes under the amended Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010), SI 2010/2955, affecting both applications for nullity and nullity of marriage orders issued on or after 6 April 2022. The amendments chiefly concern terminology, refreshed forms, and provisions relating to service. These updates apply to applications issued on or after that date...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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