In Arizona, the legal name for a divorce is Dissolution of Marriage. The amount of time that takes to get a dissolution or divorce can vary from case to case. State laws require that you wait 60 days from the date of service before you can proceed with a divorce. After the 60 days from the date of service passes, the steps necessary to obtaining a divorce will greatly depend on your situation.

A divorce where the parties have been married for a relatively short period of time, have no children, and little property or debt can be less involved. A divorce where the parties have been married for a long period of time, where there are minor children, or where there is a significant amount of property or debt to be divided and the parties are in disagreement may take additional time.

If both parties agree to all issues within the case, the case may proceed by the parties filing a consent decree. If the Petition for Dissolution has been filed and served on the other party and a response has not filed within the allotted time period, the filing party may apply for a default.

The person filing for the divorce is called the Petitioner. The person responding to the divorce is called the Respondent. The instructions and forms are broken down into 4 different packets:

• Step 1 - Introduction and first court papers
• Step 2 - How to serve the first court papers
• Step 3 - How to respond to a divorce, set a default hearing, submit a consent decree, prepare for trial
• Step 4 - How to compete the divorce process, including the decree (final papers)

You may also complete required forms online through ezCourtForms. This interactive program will help you complete needed forms. You can use these forms or the forms from the Law Library Resource Center.