Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Dissolution definition

What does Dissolution mean? In family law, dissolution is the court process that ends a civil partnership and restores each partner to single status. It is the route used to end both same‑sex and opposite‑sex civil partnerships in the UK, and remaining same‑sex civil partnerships in Ireland. In England and Wales, dissolution is a statutory process under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, as amended by the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020: a sole or joint application supported by a statement of irretrievable breakdown leads (after a minimum 20‑week period) to a conditional order and then a final order. Northern Ireland now operates a...

Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020: No-fault divorce, joint applications, and procedural and service reforms in England and Wales – Practical guidance for practitioners

Published by a LexisNexis Family expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note

This Practice Note reviews the principal elements of the Divorce, dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (DDSA 2020): the advent of no-fault divorce; for the first time, the option for parties to issue joint applications for divorce, dissolution and separation; and the imposition of a 20-week window between issue of proceedings (when the court issues the application) and the point at which the applicant(s) may seek a conditional order. It also clarifies terminology and outlines the procedural reforms to divorce and dissolution, including service requirements and transitional measures. As a result of DDSA 2020, major procedural amendments were introduced for applications for matrimonial and civil partnership orders. DDSA 2020 does not alter the substantive law on nullity; however, consequential procedural updates under the amended FPR 2010 affect applications for nullity and nullity of marriage orders issued on or after 6 April 2022. These updates are chiefly to terminology, revised forms and provisions concerning service. DDSA 2020 took effect on 6 April 2022 and has been characterised as the biggest reform of divorce law in England and...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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