Can I File for Divorce in Washington?

When a party who (1) is a resident of this state, or (2) is a member of the armed forces and is stationed in this state, or (3) is married to a party who is a resident of this state or who is a member of the armed forces and is stationed in this state.

Petitions for a dissolution of marriage, and alleges that the marriage is irretrievably broken will not be acted upon by the court until 90 days has elapsed since the filing and the service of summons on the respondent.

The Dissolution of Marriage is typically filed with in county in which the filing spouse resides.

(Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.010, 26.09.030)

According to WA divorce laws, if you DO NOT meet at least one of the Washington residency requirements listed above, you have the following options:

• Establish residency in Washington for the period time set forth above (this does not mean you have to wait to begin the process of getting your documents).
• Have your spouse do the filing if he or she meets the Washington residency requirements.
• Choose another state in which you or your spouse meet the requirements (all states are unique, so be sure to check the state in which you were married as an option).

A party can file for divorce immediately in Washington. In a Washington divorce, the petitioner can rent an apartment with the intention of living in Washington and file for divorce the same day. The court will not grant the divorce until 90 days have passed from the date the respondent receives the divorce papers. If the parties have not resolved issues of property, debts, custody and support by this time, the divorce could take longer because the parties must address all these issues before the court issues a divorce.