If you and your spouse have reached an impasse with one another or you’ve grown apart, then you may feel that your only option is to go ahead and get a divorce. Like many other states, there are certain requirements that you have to meet to be eligible to file for divorce in Pennsylvania (PA).
To be eligible to file here, either one or both of you must have lived in the state for a least six months before filing for a divorce. You can either negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement in your divorce among yourselves. State law also allows you to provide at-fault grounds for requesting to end your marriage as well.
There are many grounds on which you can request to end your marriage in Pennsylvania. These are listed in the state’s consolidated statutes annotated (CSA). 23 Pa. CSA. §3301.
State law allows couples to divorce if their spouse has cheated on them. If they’ve used excessive force against you or have abandoned you for more than a year, then you may be eligible to file. You can also do so if your spouse is married to more than one person at a time, a concept known as bigamy.
You can file for divorce in Pennsylvania if your spouse is convicted of a felony or is set to be locked up in prison for two years or more. If your husband or wife is slated to be institutionalized in a mental health facility for 18 months or more, then you too may be able to submit a divorce request. Irreconcilable differences in another valid ground for filing to end your marriage in Pennsylvania as well.
If you’re unable to get your spouse to mutually agree to a divorce, then a family law attorney can step in and help you negotiate with them. If there are lingering matters that are making it hard for you to reach a settlement in your case, then they can help with that too. They can provide you with practical, cost-efficient help with the expectation of you reaching a resolution in your complex divorce case.