Divorce Online

The answer is Yes. In Maryland, individuals have the right to represent themselves before the court, and divorce cases are no exception. Self-represented litigants must follow the same steps and rules as the spouses who hire attorneys to handle their divorce case.

Nevertheless, such a do-it-yourself divorce better suits uncontested cases. Since contested divorce is usually associated with disputed issues to resolve through litigation and higher risks, such cases are generally hard to handle without a qualified attorney or adequate legal background.

The spouses may evaluate their situation and their ability to represent themselves in divorce in Maryland by reading information on the Maryland Courts website or by getting free legal advice at their local Family Court Help Center or Maryland Court Help Center. Even though these specialists cannot act as full-service attorneys, they can help you to understand better the DIY divorce procedure in Maryland, its requirements, advantages, and pitfalls.

Spouses who have no significant property/child/custody/financial disputes wanting to arrange a divorce without a lawyer may take advantage of unbundled legal services, divorce mediation, counseling, online divorce, and other services to deal with particular issues.

To apply for divorce in Maryland, the spouse initiating the action (the plaintiff) must fill out a Complaint for Absolute Divorce and other forms required in a particular case and file them with the Circuit Court. The plaintiff can use the self-help guide provided by the Maryland Courts or enjoy the help of OnlineDivorce.com to get the completed divorce forms in the shortest terms and with less hassle.

At this moment, the court charges the filing fee, and thus, the divorce procedure officially starts.

The next step is serving the second spouse (called the defendant) with copies of the Complaint and Summons. Maryland Rules of Civil Procedure allow accomplishing the service of process by any adult person who is not a party in the case, the county sheriff's service, or a private process server.

After being served with the papers, the defendant has to file a response with the Circuit Clerk. The Answer to Complaint allows the defendant to admit or deny the divorce petition's allegations.

In Maryland, in a no-fault uncontested divorce on the ground of mutual consent, a waiting period is not required, so the final court hearing date usually can be scheduled with no delays given that the response is filed. An uncontested divorce hearing is typically brief and quite a formal procedure, but both parties must attend it.

Plenty of factors may affect the overall cost of divorce in Maryland, but the cost of any dissolution procedure starts with paying a court filing fee. All the other expenses are hard to predict, but contested divorces are typically much more expensive due to the attorneys' hourly rates.

For example, in an uncontested divorce, the spouses may hire a lawyer and pay about $1,500 per case or arrange a divorce completely independently, paying only the court costs. Besides, many alternative options are available for the spouses who are not contesting the case but still need assistance at particular stages of the divorce process.

To have the right to get divorced in Maryland, the spouses must meet the state's residency requirements. Foremost, they shall apply for divorce in the state and county where they currently live, not where they were married.

Along with it, under the Maryland Code, if the ground for divorce indicated in the divorce petition occurred outside of the state, either party must have lived in the state for at least one year before filing a Complaint for Divorce.

If the ground for divorce occurred within the state, the main requirement is that the plaintiff must currently reside in Maryland.

Once the defendant is served with copies of the Complaint and Summons, they have thirty days to file a response if receiving the forms in Maryland or sixty days if the defendant is served out of state.

If the defendant lives outside the US, the given period may be prolonged up to ninety days.
In any case, the defendant should file the Answer to Complaint to confirm or contest what their spouse stated in the Complaint.

Whether contested or uncontested, each divorce implies paying filing fees to the court. Therefore, almost no divorce cases are free, even if the spouses arrange a DIY divorce and do not resort to paid services.

Only the plaintiffs unable to pay court fees due to indigency can receive certain exemptions. To request a filing fee waiver, the plaintiff may complete the Request for Waiver of Prepaid Costs form and file it along with the initial divorce documents.

After evaluating the plaintiff's financial situation, the court may either order the court fees be paid at the end of the case (one can ask for a final fee waiver then) or oblige the second spouse to pay charges.

The most common divorce forms usually required in Maryland include the Complaint for Absolute Divorce, the Summons, Civil-Domestic Case Information Report, Financial Statement, Affidavit of Service, Answer to Complaint, Joint Statement of Parties Concerning Marital and Non-Marital Property, Joint Request to Schedule an Uncontested Divorce Hearing, Report of Absolute Divorce or Annulment of Marriage, and Child Support Guidelines Worksheet.