I have received a Divorce Civil Bill. What does this mean?
If you have received divorce papers, it means that your spouse has made an application to the courts for a divorce order. Your spouse, who made the application, is known as the applicant and you are known as the respondent.
You should have received the following documents from your spouse:
- A copy of the Family Law Civil Bill. This is the application document for the judge. It contains details about the marriage and sets out the orders the applicant wants the court to make.
- A copy of your spouse’s Affidavit of Means. This is a statement setting out the applicant's financial circumstances.
- A copy of your spouse’s Affidavit of Welfare (if there are dependent children of the marriage). This is a statement relating to the welfare of any dependent children.
- Form 37D (if your spouse is represented by a solicitor). This confirms the applicant has been advised about mediation. It must be signed and submitted by the applicant's solicitor.
- Any other document filed by your spouse when the Family Law Civil Bill was issued, such as previous court orders or a separation agreement. This will vary from case to case.
Things to consider
You should read all the documents carefully before making a response.
Divorce can affect arrangements for your children, maintenance, the family home, money, assets and pensions.
Understand more about divorce >
You will need to decide whether to get professional legal advice or represent yourself. You might also consider attending mediation.
Learn more about mediation and legal help >
What do I do next?
You can learn more about the full divorce process by visiting our step-by-step guide. Information on how the respondent can reply is explained at Step 4 of the guide.
