Online Divorce in Missouri: Documents Preparation
With the forms prepared for you and delivered in a convenient format, you can file for divorce online in Missouri on your own through the Missouri Electronic Filing System.
Ordering forms for your online divorce in Missouri from us, you will receive:
- 24/7 customer support.
- Set of papers at a fixed price.
- Access to the platform from any device.
- Only court-approved and updated forms.
- High data confidentiality.
- Step-by-step filing instructions.
Step 1: Provide your divorce details online
Step 2: Get your completed paperwork
Step 3: File with your local court
Divorce Papers in Missouri: What Forms Do You Need to File
To start a divorce, you must determine which documents are required and get divorce forms in Missouri online or from the county clerk’s office. Their list will differ depending on whether you have children and other circumstances of your case. You can get MO divorce papers online through the official court website.
If you start an uncontested divorce and need help with paperwork, an online document preparation service is a convenient way of how to get divorce papers in Missouri online. Note that getting MO divorce forms online is more suitable for couples agreeing on the divorce terms. The forms that couples with and without children should file with the court include:
This form informs the court about the participants in the case, their marriage, reasons for divorce, and children, if any.
It includes the confidential personal information of spouses and is required to enter data about the case into the court’s computer system.
If spouses have an uncontested case, they will sign this form to agree on the division of assets and liabilities.
Parties must fill out this document to list all their monthly income and expenses.
It contains the data of the parties, their marriage, and the divorce decree.
Couples with children need to search for additional divorce papers in Missouri online. These can be:
- Parenting Plan. This form consists of two parts and contains the terms of child custody and support.
- Certificate of COPE Attendance. It confirms that a couple has attended parenting classes to prepare their children for divorce.
This list of forms is not final, and you may need other papers for divorce, depending on the case. If you decide to order divorce forms in Missouri online, you will:
- greatly save time on document preparation,
- not need to worry about how to get divorce papers
- receive a complete set of forms for your online divorce application at a reasonable cost and within a short deadline.
This way, you can get cheap divorce papers online for your uncontested case without hiring a lawyer.
Compare Your Options for Filing for Divorce in Missouri
Divorce With a Lawyer
Filing for divorce with the involvement of a lawyer who will prepare the forms and represent you in court.
- Lawyers' fees range from $200 to $500 per hour
- Both parties involve their own attorney, which may provoke new conflicts
- Dependence on the lawyer's schedule leads to delays in the process
- High levels of stress negatively affect all parties involved
- The final decision may not satisfy one of the spouses
Convenient tool for preparing documents in uncontested cases. A legal, budget-friendly, and easy solution to complete the necessary divorce forms online.
- The best option for uncontested cases without court battles
- Easy-to-navigate platform accessible from any gadget
- Up-to-date forms required for your case
- Service available from any location
- The completed set of documents ready in a few days
- Fixed cost of preparing divorce forms
The most cost-efficient but risky way to file for divorce.
- Spouses need a lot of time to find the necessary forms and prepare them
- The court can reject paperwork because of the smallest mistakes
- Resubmission of papers increases the process duration
- Independent preparation can lead to unexpected expenses
- There is no guarantee that the parties will get what they want
How to File for a Divorce in Missouri Online
If you are interested in how to file for a divorce in Missouri online or in person, you should learn more about the specifics of the marriage dissolution process in the state. When getting a divorce in Missouri online or offline, remember the following:
- You can file for divorce in Missouri only if one party has lived in the state for at least 90 days.
- Determine if you have unresolved issues with your spouse to prepare necessary papers and involve lawyers or mediators if needed.
- Prepare a petition and other required documents. Forms are available on the court website with instructions.
- Prepare several copies of documents before filing; check the number needed with the clerk.
- File online or in person with the county clerk’s office. Online filing without a lawyer works best for uncontested cases where spouses agree on custody, support, and property division.
- Court fees are around $150-$200. If you cannot afford this, prepare a Motion and Affidavit to Proceed as a Poor Person.
- For uncontested cases, you can file on your own or use online document preparation services.
- After filing, you may need to serve the other party unless they sign the Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service.
Couples who have decided to end their marriage should understand that the divorce process can be expensive and stressful. You can make the divorce procedure easier and apply for divorce online if your case is uncontested.
Online divorce in Missouri and ordering documents from professional online services will help you speed up the marriage dissolution process. If you want a cheap divorce in Missouri, applying for an uncontested one and addressing online services for help with paperwork can result in reduced divorce expenses. With the help of our document preparation service, you will get forms for online divorce in MO in just a few days.
Grounds for Divorce in Missouri
Missouri is a no-fault divorce state, which means that grounds for divorce in Missouri can be an irretrievable marriage breakdown. In such a case, there is no need to prove that one spouse did something wrong, leading to a marriage breakup.
If a filing spouse denies that the marriage is irretrievably broken, they should be able to prove in court the other grounds for divorce in Missouri:
- Adultery, because of which marital relationship cannot be saved.
- The behavior of one spouse makes living together impossible.
- Abandonment by one spouse for at least 6 months before filing.
- Living separately for 12 months before submitting forms to the court if both parties agree to end a marriage.
- Separate residence within 24 months before filing if one spouse disagrees with divorce.
What are the grounds for an emergency divorce in Missouri? They can only be cruel treatment or domestic violence; they are available for spouses seeking instant protection from the other party.
How to File for Divorce in Missouri Without a Lawyer
Going through a divorce without an attorney is possible if the case is uncontested. Under Missouri law, couples are not required to hire an attorney to start a divorce process; however, the involvement of a lawyer is often necessary if you and your spouse have unresolved marital issues. If your case is contested, a lawyer will help you prepare and file papers and will represent you in court.
However, hiring legal representatives comes with several disadvantages:
- High fees for services provided.
- Prolonged process due to a busy attorney’s schedule.
- Depressing atmosphere that affects all participants in the process.
For these reasons, many couples choose to file for divorce in Missouri without a lawyer. This option is much cheaper but is appropriate only if you start an uncontested divorce in Missouri. To be able to act without hiring a lawyer, you and your spouse should resolve the following issues:
- Child custody and visitation.
- Maintenance.
- Property division, etc.
An uncontested divorce in Missouri allows spouses to go through the process on their own and save money on legal representation.
In cases where you and your spouse cannot reach an agreement on marital issues, you can use mediation services. The participation of a mediator will help you resolve disagreements and avoid future court litigation. Such services also cost money, but they are usually far cheaper than the full-scope assistance of a lawyer during a trial.
If you act on your own, you need to understand the marriage dissolution stages, get acquainted with the divorce laws and legal requirements, and go through the process completely on your own, from preparing the documents to receiving the divorce decree.
Do-it-yourself divorce in Missouri is the most budget-friendly way to file for divorce without involving lawyers or other specialists. Here are some basic steps you will need to take when applying for a DIY divorce in Missouri:
- Preparing the forms. First of all, fill out the petition and information sheet. The other papers required for your case are better to check with the clerk or through the Missouri Court website. Sign the documents, notarize them if needed, and prepare several copies.
- Submitting documents to the court. You need to submit the completed forms to the county clerk’s office or online. You can file for divorce in the county where you or your spouse live. The clerk will review the documents, tell you your case number, and issue a summons to serve the other party. Pay the court fees or fill out the waiver form to avoid them if your financial situation is difficult.
- Serving the other spouse. If the defendant is cooperative and signs an Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service, you can avoid the serving process. Otherwise, you need to hire a sheriff or private process server to deliver documents to your spouse; you can’t do it yourself. Please note that you will need to pay for their services. If you do not know where the other party resides, you can get permission from the court to inform your spouse about the lawsuit by publication.
- Responding to the petition. The other party has 30 days to respond or file a counterclaim. If your spouse is cooperative, the response to the petition may be filed with other documents at the beginning of the process. If the defendant does not respond in time, the judge can make a decision based on your requests in the petition, granting a default judgment.
- Finalizing the divorce process. You can schedule a final hearing no earlier than 30 days after filing the petition; this is a mandatory waiting period. If the case is uncontested, one hearing is usually enough for the judge to review your arrangements on property division, child custody, support, and visitation and make a decision on the case.
If the parties have disputes, several court hearings may be required until the couple agrees or the judge can decide on divorce matters. Spouses filing for divorce with children under 18 must attend parenting classes before they can obtain a divorce decree.
Do-it-yourself divorce in MO may be time-consuming since you must prepare for the process and learn how to file your own divorce. Preparing the paperwork can take you from several days to a few weeks.
If the steps above seem difficult, you can make the process easier by completing the paperwork with our online service. You will not need to search the necessary forms on your own; it will be enough to specify the information requested in a convenient online questionnaire, and you will receive ready-to-file documents in a few days. You can then immediately submit them online or by visiting the court clerk.
We guarantee high data confidentiality, only updated court-approved forms, and round-the-clock customer support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
To get a divorce in Missouri, you need to prepare a set of papers for your case and file them with the court. You can file in MO if one of the parties has been a resident of the state for at least 90 days. Then, you have to serve the other spouse, attend parenting classes if you have minor children, decide on disputed issues, if any, wait till a mandatory waiting period is over, and schedule a final hearing.
Under Missouri law, a couple can file for divorce without being separated for a certain period of time.
You need to determine the necessary forms for your uncontested case, fill them out, sign them, and submit them to the court online or through the county clerk’s office. Then, serve the other party, get a response to the petition, wait until the 30-day period ends, and attend the final court hearing.
You can file for divorce while one of the parties is pregnant, but the process cannot be finalized until a baby is born.
To start a divorce process, you must ensure you meet the residency requirements. If you or your spouse have lived within the state for 90 days or more, you can prepare a petition and other papers and submit them to the court, paying the filing fee. It is when your divorce officially begins.
