In many states there is a waiting period for finalizing a divorce following the filing of the lawsuit for divorce. This waiting period is intended to allow the spouses to “cool-off” and reconcile if possible. And some states require the spouses to have separated and lived apart for some period of time before proceeding with the divorce. In some states that require such a separation period, if the spouses reconcile and begin living together again (cohabitating) after separating, the separation period must be restarted before the divorce process can proceed.

The waiting period or separation period is often 30-90 days but may be as long as 5-18 months in states such as Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Vermont. These waiting periods are generally in addition to any minimum time period a spouse must have resided in the county in which the divorce is filed before filing for divorce—known as the residency requirement.

In Florida, there is no mandatory separation period before filing for divorce. However, there is a residency requirement, which mandates that at least one of the spouses must have lived in the state for a minimum of six months prior to filing for divorce. Once the divorce is filed, Florida law requires a mandatory waiting period of 20 days before the divorce can be finalized, although this period can be waived if the court finds that an injustice would result from this delay. The waiting period is designed to give couples a chance to reconsider the divorce and possibly reconcile. It's important to note that the actual time it takes to finalize a divorce in Florida can be longer than this waiting period, depending on the complexity of the divorce case and whether it is contested or uncontested.