How Long Does It Take To Get Divorced In England and Wales?

Last reviewed: 21st July 2026

Article summary

✓  The statutory minimum for a divorce in England and Wales is 26 weeks: 20 weeks from application to conditional order, plus a further minimum of six weeks before the final order.

✓  In practice, the Ministry of Justice reported that between January and March 2026, the time from the date of application for divorce to the conditional order was 39 weeks. The mean average time from application to final order was 67 weeks. However, these figures relate only to the process of getting divorced, not to how long it takes to reach an agreement on the divorce financial settlement or on arrangements for children. Divorce and financial matters, whilst they are separate processes, should ideally be dealt with together. Advice should be taken as to the interplay between these before any applications are made so that you are informed from the outset.

✓  The most common reason a divorce takes longer than the minimum is that couples are sensibly waiting for finances to be resolved before applying for the final order. This ensures they have the protection of having the legal status of spouse in the event of death whilst they are resolving their financial matters on divorce (inheritance rights, pension benefits etc.).

✓  Court processing times, missing documents, and disputes about money or children all add weeks or months to the timeline.

✓  Staying organised, instructing a solicitor early, and pursuing a financial settlement in parallel can all reduce the overall time.

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Introduction

One of the first questions clients ask me is, “How long does it take to get divorced?” The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, which came into force on 6th April 2022, introduced a two-stage timetable for divorce in England and Wales. Twenty weeks must pass from the start of proceedings before the conditional order can be applied for. A further six weeks and one day must then elapse before the final order can be made. Those waiting periods are fixed and can only be reduced in the most exceptional of cases by an Order of the Court.

The 26-week minimum is a floor, not a target. The Ministry of Justice reported that between January and March 2026, the time from the date of divorce application to the conditional order was 39 weeks. The mean average time from application to final order was 67 weeks. However, these figures relate only to the process of getting divorced, not to how long it takes to reach an agreement on the divorce financial settlement or on arrangements for children.

Understanding why the average is so far above the minimum helps couples plan and, where possible, act to close the gap.

This forms part of our wider topic – A Complete Guide to Divorce in England and Wales.

What are the two statutory waiting periods?

The 20-week waiting period runs from the date the court issues the divorce application. It does not begin on the date you complete the form; it begins when the court formally accepts it and issues the case number. After 20 weeks, the applicant can file an application for a conditional order which confirms that they still wish to proceed and that the content of the divorce application remains true. The court does not proceed automatically as an application must be made.

Once the conditional order has been granted (which can take several weeks as it has to be passed to a Judge for consideration), a minimum of six weeks and one day (43 days) must pass before the applicant can apply for the final order. The Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, as amended by the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, provides that the court “must… take the statement [of irretrievable breakdown] to be conclusive evidence that the marriage has broken down irretrievably”, which means the divorce can not be challenged on factual grounds.

If the applicant does not apply for the final order, then the respondent could make an application for the final order three months after the earliest date the applicant can. However, that application is not approved automatically and usually involves a hearing to consider whether to grant.

A respondent to a divorce may, in some circumstances, seek to delay the final order where financial matters remain unsolved by an application to the Court after the conditional order has been made before it is made final.  This asks the Court to consider their financial position after divorce.  However, those applications are not granted automatically, and the court may still consider that the final order of divorce should be granted in any event.

Why do most divorces take longer than 26 weeks?

The most significant reason divorces run past the statutory minimum is that couples are deliberately waiting until their financial settlement is in place before applying for the final order. In our experience, this is often the best thing to do. Certain pension and inheritance rights belong to a spouse and cease upon the marriage’s end. Applying for the final order before the court approves a consent order can leave one party financially exposed in particular in relation to pensions.

Court processing times are also a factor. Divorce cases are issued and processed centrally, and administrative backlogs can add weeks between each stage. A document submitted promptly may still take time to be processed and returned. Disputes over the financial settlement, particularly those involving property, pensions, or business interests, can add further months. Cases that reach a contested financial remedy hearing can extend well past 18 months.

Children’s matters run on a separate track from the divorce but can influence the overall timescale if they remain unresolved. Parents are expected to consider mediation and other forms of non court dispute resolution before applying to the court for a child arrangement order.

 

Purcell Solicitors offer full representation but also family mediation and family finance arbitration as a way to help couples resolve matters without the delay of contested court proceedings.

What causes the most avoidable delay?

Several delays are within the parties’ control, including:

      ✓  The respondent failing to acknowledge service of the divorce petition.

      ✓  Not making an application for conditional order promptly after the 20-week period expires is a common reason the conditional order is not made for weeks or months beyond the minimum although sometimes there are good tactical reasons to delay. In a joint application, both parties must confirm they wish to proceed; if one party delays, the application sits in limbo unless the application is converted into a sole application.

      ✓  Difficulties with reaching a financial settlement and either one or both parties not wanting the final order to obtained until settlement is concluded. A typical source of delay for a financial settlement is incomplete financial disclosure. Gathering the necessary documents, including pension valuations and property valuations, takes time and then negotiating a fair settlement. Starting the process of resolving finances at the same time as the divorce application, rather than waiting for the conditional order, is one of the most effective ways to reduce the overall length of the case.

      ✓  Court listing delays for financial remedy hearings are largely outside the parties’ control if a settlement cannot be reached through negotiation or mediation. Using non-court routes to resolve financial matters, such as family mediation or collaborative law or Arbitration, often resolves matters faster than waiting for a court hearing.

How can you keep a divorce moving?

Instructing a solicitor early helps because they will monitor deadlines and file documents correctly at each stage. Running the financial discussions in parallel with the divorce proceedings, rather than sequentially, removes the most common cause of the gap between the 26-week minimum and the 70-week average. Agreeing on a form of non-court dispute resolution early, whether that is mediation, a private financial dispute resolution hearing or collaborative law, means financial issues can be resolved without the wait for a court listing.

Staying organised matters practically. Gathering payslips, pension statements, mortgage statements and bank records before they are requested saves weeks. Responding promptly to requests from the other party’s solicitor or the court prevents cases from stalling.

Talk to Purcell Solicitors

If you want a clear, honest picture of how long your divorce is likely to take and what you can do to keep things moving, the family law team at Purcell Solicitors will guide you from the very start and answer your questions along the way. Contact the team through the contact page or call +44 (0)1908 693000

Last reviewed: June 2026

Please note this article does not constitute legal advice.