Oklahoma Divorce Laws

Being a law-abiding citizen requires knowing and following the legislation of the state you live in. Family ties are also regulated by a certain group of laws. So, if you have found yourself in a situation where you wish to legally end your marriage, we are ready to provide you with the up-to-date divorce law in Oklahoma to ensure your success.

Grounds for divorce in Oklahoma

According to divorce laws in Oklahoma there are two types of grounds for divorce. The first group is ‘fault-based’ grounds, meaning that the initiating party of the process has to prove certain actions took place in the marriage that led to the breakdown of the marriage. OK divorce laws consider eleven actions as such:

• Extreme cruelty
• Leaving for one year without coming back
• Unfaithfulness
• Impotency
• Getting pregnant with someone other than one’s husband
• Alcoholism
• Failure to execute marital duties
• Imprisonment at the time of filing for marriage dissolution and the spouse in jail is accused of a felony
• Getting a divorce in a state other than Oklahoma and this divorce is considered invalid in OK
• The marriage contract is recognized as a fraud
• Mental illness for 5 years.

Oklahoma accepts another type of grounds, which is ‘no-fault’. There is only one reason in this group, and it is defined as an inability to be compatible. This reason does not need to be explained to the court, the initiating party only has to choose it in the grounds for divorce in Oklahoma field in the petition for marriage dissolution.

Oklahoma divorce process

Oklahoma divorce law allows the execution of two means of marriage dissolution. They differ from each other in the procedures, time it takes to finalize the divorce, costs and overall complexity. The choice of the means to dissolve the marital relationship depends on the reasons for divorce in Oklahoma. If either spouse wants to get divorced and prove her or his grounds for it, then the couple must carry out the contested dissolution. This track of divorce is time-consuming, as these cases are often postponed. These cases also require a lawyer as the spouses are unable to agree on the division of property, financial matters and childcare on their own. Thus, this process involves a great deal of stress and expense for both parties.

If the couple does not want to argue, but wishes to end their marriage legally and is able to cooperate, it is much better to choose the ground of incompatibility as the reason to dissolve the marriage. In this situation the uncontested track of divorce is executed. Its benefits include:

• Speed (Such divorces are finalized in a much shorter time. The waiting period is as little as 10 days if the couple has no kids or up to three months if they do.)
• Cost (You must only pay filing fees, the notary fee and $139 to prepare the papers.)
• Ability to create the papers online
• No need to pay an attorney (As there is no trial, there is no need to hire a lawyer.)

In accordance with the divorce laws in OK, there are two requirements the couple must fulfill to be eligible to dissolve the marriage in an uncontested manner:

• Residency (Either spouse must have lived in OK for at least six months before starting the process.)
• Procedural (The partners must create a written agreement that outlines how they want to divide their rights and responsibilities after the marriage is over.)

Oklahoma divorce procedure

As we have taken a look at the ways to dissolve the marriage and the benefits of an uncontested divorce, now we are ready to present you with the steps to getting a divorce in Oklahoma:

1. Choose the type of marriage dissolution.
2. Follow the demands of divorce law in Oklahoma for the chosen type.
3. Fill out the questionnaire on our website to create the papers online.
4. Receive the document kit right to your email.
5. Sign and notarize the papers.
6. Submit the papers to the court (at this point, you must pay a filing fee and the case number is granted).
7. Deliver the papers to the responding party of the case (OK divorce law allows a couple ways to do this: in person or by notification in the local press).
8. Wait for the time set by divorce laws in Oklahoma to receive an invitation to the court.
9. Attend a meeting with the judge to receive the dissolution certificate.

States divorce law