If you want to end your marriage, one of the questions you may have is how long your divorce will take. While this question has a different answer for everyone, Pennsylvania has a 90-day waiting period for people who have filed for a divorce.
The purpose of that waiting period is to give couples time to work out their issues and potentially reconnect. If you decide not to divorce after that time, you can simply not take steps to finalize the divorce.
On the other hand, if you do decide to move forward, you can ask to finalize the divorce after those 90 days have passed — as long as both parties agree to the split.
What can make a divorce take longer?
Your divorce will take longer if you and your spouse cannot agree on the terms of your divorce or your spouse will not agree to a mutual split. In the latter situation, you and your spouse will have to live apart for at least a year before you can proceed with your plans.
Other issues that can slow divorce down include complex property issues that cannot easily be divided and conflicts over custody of the children or support. Mediation and arbitration can help you resolve issues, but they may take time. Naturally, if you have to go to litigation, that will indeed be time-consuming.
How can you make your divorce move as quickly as possible?
If you want to make sure your divorce moves as quickly as possible, you and your spouse will need to agree to a divorce settlement within those initial 90 days. If you can do that, then you’ll be able to request to finalize your divorce. Using mediation, arbitration, collaborative law or other options in those initial days may give you the opportunity to resolve your disputes early on, so long as you are both willing to work together to do so.
