Divorce laws in the U.S. are unique to each state. There are no federal or national divorce rules or laws that people have to follow. So divorce procedure, costs, and time can differ greatly between states.
One of the big things people want to know when they get a divorce is how long it takes. And, like most things related to a divorce, that will vary state by state.
For those of you who live in Texas and are wondering how long a divorce takes in the Lone Star State, you’ll find the answer here.
The short answer is that it takes at least six months for spouses to get a divorce decree in Texas. But there’s more to it than that. Let’s discuss this more below.
How Long Does A Divorce Take In Texas?
The minimum time it takes to get a divorce is generally six months. But it could take longer than that.
That is because the Texas divorce law has a mandatory waiting period. A court of Texas will not issue a divorce decree until six months after one of the spouses files for a divorce. It is common for states to have a waiting period like this.
However, the divorce itself does not necessarily take six months for a Texas court to issue. The six month mandatory is just the minimum amount of length both spouses will wait to obtain a divorce decree. In fact, the average length of a divorce in Texas takes over a year, averaging right around 12 1/2 months.
There are also particular factors that may affect how long a divorce will take in Texas. Here are some of the key ones.
Meeting The Texas Residency Requirements For Divorce
If you or your have not yet met the residency requirements to file for a divorce in the state of Texas, then your divorce may take longer than six months.
First, the residency requirements to file for a divorce in Texas states that one of the spouses must be a resident of the state for at least six months.
Additionally, one of the two spouses must have lived in the county where they will file for at least three months. So if you are new to Texas, you may have to wait twelve to nine months before you and your spouse can finalize your divorce in Texas.
Filing For The Divorce
Filing for a divorce in Texas may take a few days. The following are factors that may affect this timing.
- Responding To Petitions: Responding to petitions is the act serving and responding to divorce documents and petitions between the two spouses. Responding to a petition may take 20 days to a month.
- Unresolved Divorce Issues: As we have said before in our previous articles, the more issues that you and your spouse have to resolve, the longer the divorce. These issues may involve child support, child custody, and property issues. However, unresolved issues may remain after the divorce process. That is because the court and the divorce attorneys will have to settle all the issues between the two spouses in the fairest manner.
The Type Of Divorce You Choose
There are different types of divorce other than those that occur in a courtroom. And we have also discussed how the type of divorce you or your spouse choose can affect the length of your divorce.
For instance, an uncontested divorce may take a shorter amount of time to process as there are no issues to be settled.