Joint applications for divorce

Do not be tempted to use pay unregulated online companies to apply for a divorce for you. It is easy to do it yourself.

You can apply online on the government website here.

You and your spouse can apply together for a divorce in England and Wales.

The application can be made online or by post.

This is the link to the government website to apply for your divorce.

One of you will be known as Applicant 1, the other as Applicant 2.

Applicant 1 will complete their details first, followed by Applicant 2. The online process makes this easy to do. You don’t have to be together at the same time to apply.

Who pays the court fee?

Applicant 1 pays the court fee.

There is currently no way of splitting the court fee within the application process.

You will need to sort that out between you separately.

Is it more expensive if we apply together?

The court fee is £612 (as at April 2025) whether you apply as an individual or together.

If one of you is eligible for Help With Fees, but the other isn’t, it may be cheaper for the person who is eligible, to apply as an individual.

This is because Help with Fees can only be granted to joint applicants if both are eligible.

What happens if one applicant stops cooperating?

It depends on the stage the proceedings have reached.

• If the other joint applicant refuses to approve the joint application before it is issued, you will not be able to go any further. You will need to archive the case and apply as a sole applicant.
• If the other joint applicant fails to respond to an online application for the conditional order, you will still be able to continue the application as a sole applicant. The other applicant will be notified by email of your application and will have 14 days to apply as well. If they do not respond, you will be permitted to continue the application as a sole applicant.
• If you are applying for the final order and you become aware that the other joint applicant no longer wants a divorce, you will need to give them 14 days notice before you can apply as sole applicant. You can notify the other applicant during the 6 week cooling off period between the conditional order and the final order application.

We have more detailed guides on applying for both the conditional order and final order.

More details on applying for the final order are also available to download on the government website here.

This is a link to a video guide on joint applications for divorce on the HMCTS Youtube channel. (Link opens in a new window).

Court fees

Court fees are payable when you start a divorce.

There is a separate fee if you have to make another application as part of your divorce.

For example, if you need to apply for deemed service, you will pay an extra fee on top of the original court fee.

A fee is also payable for an order dividing your assets or making a clean break.

Help paying the court fee

If you are on a low income

• you may be eligible to pay a discounted court fee; or
• fully exempt.

Court Fee refunds

If you have paid a court fee within the last 3 months and were eligible at the time for exemption or to pay a discounted fee, you may be able to apply for a refund.

How much is the court fee?

The table below shows the most common court fees in connection with divorce.

You can find out more about fee exemption and apply for help with the court fee here.