District of Colombia has following divorce laws:
Residency
Residency requirements, set by District of Columbia divorce laws, must be met so that the District of Columbia divorce court accepts the case. According to District of Colombia divorce laws, the divorce court will eventually dismiss the case if it’s not under its jurisdictional rights. The residency requirements are:
- Either spouse must be a resident for at least 6 months prior to filing for a divorce. Any active military member will be considered a resident as long as he has been stationed for at least 6 months
Documents Required for Filing Divorce
- Complaint for Divorce
- Final Decree of Divorce
Above mentioned are the essential documents needed to start and finalize a divorce according to District of Colombia divorce laws.
A few other documents may also be required throughout the filing process. They are:
- Affidavit of Corroborating Witness
- Marital Settlement Agreement
- Financial Affidavit
- Affidavit Regarding the Children
Property Distribution
Since District of Colombia is an "equitable distribution" state, the
marital property is divided in an equitable (fair) fashion. The District of Columbia divorce court asks the parties to resolve property and debt issues otherwise the court declares its own decision.
Change of Name or Restoration of Name
As per District of Colombia divorce laws, either spouse may restore his or her name to former or maiden name.
Mediation Counseling
If the divorce involves minor children, the court may order one or both parents to attend a short parenting education class prior to the divorce being finalized
Alimony
Under District of Colombia divorce laws, the obligation of one spouse to support the other financially for a temporary or permanent basis is decided on a case-by-case basis as agreed to by the parties or at the court's discretion. In making such an award, the divorce court considers a number of economic factors.
Child Custody
Child custody is the most critical issue during the divorce process. Therefore the District of Colombia courts will do everything possible to help lessen the emotional trauma the children may be experiencing. If the parents cannot come to an agreement regarding the issues involving the children, the divorce court establishes the custody order at its discretion.
Child Support
District of Colombia divorce laws’ child support guidelines use the Percentage of Income formula which calculates the support obligation as a percentage of the income of the non-custodial parent who is obligated to support the child. This method simply applies a percentage to the income of the parent according to the number of children requiring support.
Contact a professional divorce attorney or divorce lawyer for comprehensive divorce laws information of your state
