How long does a divorce take in England and Wales?

England and Wales · Facts checked 12 November 2026

The law sets a minimum of 26 weeks. In practice the typical divorce takes about 40 weeks from application to final order, and plenty take longer. The gap is made up of things outside the two fixed waits: court processing, a spouse who is slow to respond, and couples settling money before they finish.

The built-in waiting periods

Two waits are written into the law. You cannot shorten them yourself; only a court can, by order in a particular case.

Stage	How long	Notes
Application issued to applying for the conditional order	20 weeks minimum	The clock starts when the court issues the application, not when you send it.
Conditional order to applying for the final order	6 weeks and 1 day minimum (43 days)	You are still married during this time.
Legal minimum in total	26 weeks and 1 day	Before any court processing time.

You also need to have been married for at least a year before you can apply at all.

What actually happens: the official figures

The Ministry of Justice publishes how long divorces really take. For April to June 2026:

Application to conditional order: median 28 weeks, mean 40 weeks.
Application to final order: median 40 weeks, mean 68 weeks.

The median is the middle case: half of the divorces completed in that quarter had taken 40 weeks or less. The mean is pulled up by cases that take a very long time, so the median is the better guide to a typical divorce.

Where the extra time goes

Court processing. After you apply for the conditional order the court reviews the application, which GOV.UK says "may take several weeks". Each step has a little of this.

Your spouse responding. In a sole application the court sends the papers to your spouse, who has 14 days to respond. If they do not, GOV.UK says the court will contact you and tell you what you can do.

Sorting out money first. Not everyone applies for the final order on the first day they can. A court cannot approve a financial agreement until the conditional order has been made, and GOV.UK says that if you want a legally binding arrangement for dividing money and property, you must apply to the court for it before you apply for the final order. Settling the finances between the two orders adds to the time.

Leaving it too long. If you apply for the final order more than 12 months after the conditional order, you have to explain the delay to the court.

Money and children run on separate clocks

The divorce only ends the marriage. It does not divide money or decide arrangements for children. Those are separate processes, and they are often what people mean when they say a divorce "took two years".

If you agree about money, you ask the court to approve a consent order. There is usually no hearing. In April to June 2026, 72% of financial applications to the court were uncontested.
If the court has to decide, the first hearing is usually 12 to 14 weeks after you apply, and GOV.UK notes that several months can pass between hearings.
Arrangements for children, where a court is involved, took on average 33 weeks to conclude in the same period. A court only becomes involved if one of you applies to it.

What you can and cannot control

You cannot shorten the 20 weeks or the 6 weeks yourself. What is in your hands is being ready when each wait ends: papers found and forms understood.

This guide explains the process. It is not legal advice, and it cannot tell you when to apply for your final order. That depends on your finances, and it is a question for a solicitor.

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Quick answers

What is the quickest a divorce can be?

Normally 26 weeks and one day from the date the court issues the application: a 20-week wait before you can apply for the conditional order, then at least 6 weeks and 1 day before you can apply for the final order. Court processing time comes on top of that. A court has the power to shorten these periods in a particular case, but you cannot shorten them yourself.

How long does a typical divorce take?

In April to June 2026 the median time from application to final order was 40 weeks. The mean was 68 weeks, because some cases take much longer.

Does sorting out money take longer than the divorce itself?

It can. Money and arrangements for children run on their own clocks, separate from the divorce. If the court has to decide finances, the first hearing is usually 12 to 14 weeks after applying and several months can pass between hearings.

Can my spouse slow the divorce down by not responding?

They have 14 days to respond. If they do not, GOV.UK says the court will contact you and tell you what you can do.

Sources

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 12 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the source if you are relying on a number.

More guides

This page gives general information about the process in England and Wales. It is not legal advice, and it cannot tell you what to claim, what to accept or what to do in your situation. For that, speak to a solicitor.