Filing for divorce generally includes (1) filing the necessary paperwork with the appropriate state or county court; (2) paying the filing fee; and (3) having the paperwork properly served on (handed to) your spouse—known as service of process.

This paperwork generally consists of a complaint or petition that includes the names of the spouses, the grounds for the divorce (fault or no-fault), whether there are children involved in the marriage, and whether the spouse is seeking child custody, child support, or spousal support.

A spouse generally may file for divorce in the state and county in which the spouse resides—or in which the other spouse resides. In many states the spouse must have lived in the state or county for a specified period of time before filing for divorce. Laws regarding this residency requirement and where a lawsuit for divorce may be filed vary from state to state and with circumstances in which the spouses share minor children.

Laws regarding the requirements for filing for divorce are usually located in a state’s statutes—often in the family code or domestic relations code.

In Connecticut, the process of filing for divorce involves submitting the necessary paperwork to the appropriate Superior Court, which includes a complaint or petition that outlines the details of the marriage, the grounds for divorce (either fault or no-fault), and any issues related to children, custody, and support. The filing party must also pay a filing fee. After filing, the paperwork must be properly served to the other spouse, which is known as service of process. Connecticut law requires that at least one spouse must have been a resident of the state for a minimum of 12 months before filing for divorce. However, if the cause of the divorce occurred after either spouse moved into Connecticut, or if one spouse was a resident at the time of the marriage and returned with the intention to permanently stay before filing, the court may waive the 12-month requirement. The specific statutes governing divorce in Connecticut can be found in the Connecticut General Statutes under Title 46b - Family Law.