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 Mississippi (MS), the state law does not mandate a specific 'cooling-off' period after filing for divorce before it can be finalized. However, Mississippi does require grounds for divorce, and one of the no-fault grounds is a separation of the spouses for at least 60 consecutive days without cohabitation and with no reasonable hope of reconciliation. Additionally, for a fault-based divorce, if the parties have not already separated, the court may require a separation period as part of the divorce proceedings. The residency requirement in Mississippi stipulates that at least one spouse must have been a resident of the state for a minimum of 6 months prior to filing for divorce. It's important to note that the actual time it takes to finalize a divorce can vary depending on the complexity of the case and the court's schedule.