Divorce Form 12.901(a)
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12.901(a) Petition for Simplified Dissolution of Marriage
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA FAMILY LAW RULES OF PROCEDURE FORM 12.901(a), PETITION FOR SIMPLIFIED DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
When should this form be used?
This form should be used when a husband and wife are filing for a simplified dissolution of marriage . You and/or your spouse must have lived in Florida for at least 6 months before filing for a dissolution in Florida. You may file a simplified dissolution of marriage in Florida if all of the following are true:
You and your spouse agree that the marriage cannot be saved.
You and your spouse have no minor or dependent child(ren) together, the wife does not have any minor or dependent children born during the marriage, and the wife is not now pregnant.
You and your spouse have worked out how the two of you will divide the things that you both own (your assets ) and who will pay what part of the money you both owe (your liabilities ), and you are both satisfied with this division.
You are not seeking support ( alimony ) from your spouse, and vice versa.
You and your spouse have filed financial affidavits with the court or you have waived the filing of financial affidavits and you are satisfied with the financial disclosure received from the other spouse.
You are willing to give up your right to trial and appeal .
You and your spouse are both willing to go into the clerk’s office to sign the petition (not necessarily together).
You and your spouse are both willing to go to the final hearing (at the same time).
If you do not meet the criteria above, you must file a regular petition for dissolution of marriage.
This petition should be typed or printed in black ink. Each of you must sign the petition in the presence of a deputy clerk (in the clerk’s office), although you do not have to go into the clerk’s office at the same time. You will need to provide picture identification (valid driver’s license or official identification card) for the clerk to witness your signatures.
What should I do next?
After completing this form, you should file the original with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where you live and keep a copy for your records.
If you did not waive the filing of a financial affidavit in the petition, each of you must file a Financial Affidavit. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(b) or (c). You may document your agreement by signing a Marital Settlement Agreement, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(f)(3) and filing it with the clerk of the circuit court or you may agree that all of your assets (what you own) and liabilities (what you owe) have been disposed of by oral agreement.
You must prove to the court that the husband and/or wife has (have) lived in Florida for more than 6 months before filing the petition for dissolution of marriage. Residence can be proved by:
a valid Florida driver’s license, Florida identification card, or voter registration card issued to one of you at least 6 months prior to filing for dissolution of marriage; or
the testimony of another person who knows that either you or your spouse has resided in Florida for more than 6 months and is available to testify in court; or
an affidavit . To prove residence by affidavit, use an Affidavit of Corroborating Witness, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(i). This form must be signed by a person who knows that either you or your spouse has lived in Florida for more than 6 months before the date that you filed the petition for dissolution of marriage. This affidavit may be signed in the presence of the clerk of the court or in the presence of a notary public , who must affix his or her seal at the proper place on the affidavit.
You must pay the appropriate filing fees to the clerk of the circuit court. If you and your spouse cannot afford to pay the filing fees, you may fill out an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status, and file it with your petition for dissolution of marriage. You may obtain this form from the clerk and he or she will determine whether you are eligible to have filing fees waived.
Either you or the clerk of court will need to complete a Family Court Cover Sheet, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928. The clerk’s office can provide this form.
You must obtain a date and time for a court appearance from the clerk of court. On that date, you and your spouse must appear together before a judge. You should complete a Final Judgment of Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.990(a), and bring it with you to the hearing. At that time, if all of the papers are in order, the judge may grant a final judgment dissolving your marriage under simplified dissolution of marriage procedures by signing the final judgment which you have provided.
If you fail to complete this procedure, the court may dismiss the case to clear its records.
Where can I look for more information?
Before proceeding, you should read “General Information for Self-Represented Litigants” found at the beginning of these forms. The words that are in “ bold underline ” in these instructions are defined there. For further information, see chapter 61, Florida Statutes, and Rule 12.105, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure.
Special notes...
Remember, a person who is NOT an attorney is called a nonlawyer. If a nonlawyer helps you fill out these forms, that person must give you a copy of a Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.900(a), before he or she helps you. A nonlawyer helping you fill out these forms also must put his or her name, address, and telephone number on the bottom of the last page of every form he or she helps you complete.
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Additional Forms Mentioned in Instructions Above: (Your Document Preparer will ask you if you wish to complete each of the following forms. Please read each form and decide if you require the form for your specific circumstances. A document preparer cannot and will not help you choose which forms to file.)
Financial Affidavit. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(b) or (c)
Marital Settlement Agreement, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(f)(3)
Affidavit of Corroborating Witness, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(i)
Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status
Family Court Cover Sheet, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928
Final Judgment of Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.990(a)
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