So you don't know where your ex-partner lives?

A few weeks ago I blogged about the woman given permission to serve divorce papers on her husband via Facebook as she didn’t know where he was living.  This got me thinking about the more usual legal route to divorcing when you don’t know where your spouse is.

You will still have to fill in a divorce petition, stating the last known address.  You will need to show that you have done everything you can to find them, such as contacting friends, family, relatives, their bank, employer and any trade union or professional organisation.

You then also fill in what’s known as a ‘statement to dispense with service of the divorce petition’ and return it to the local court with the £50 fee.

If your spouse is missing and presumed dead, there is a different form - a D8D which can be filled in.

The court can then, in either case, end the marriage without the divorce petition actually being sent to your ex-spouse.

Needless to say, this is not a usual route to divorce, and may be one where you need some legal help - we're here to help with all your divorce queries, just email me if you need help.