What happens if you Cannot serve divorce papers?

What happens if you Cannot serve divorce papers?

Providing your spouse notice of the divorce is essential: if you don’t serve your spouse, the court can’t issue any orders and can ultimately dismiss your case. Many spouses wonder if they can just hand their spouses the divorce paperwork. In most states, the answer is no, you may not deliver your own divorce papers.

What does it mean to serve someone with divorce papers?

In family law and divorce cases, the spouse who initiates filing will serve the papers on the other, which will notify him or her of upcoming scheduled court appointments. Court procedures are no longer a private dispute between you and your spousethey are now a matter of a public record.

Can I serve divorce papers by certified mail?

No. There are strict rules about serving divorce documents. You must arrange service by hand or by post on your spouse or your spouse’s lawyer. You are not allowed to personally serve the divorce documents on your spouse.

How do you get a divorce if spouse lives in another state?

If you and your spouse live in different states but want to divorce, it is possible to do so. Still, you need to meet the residency requirements of the state where you file for divorce. If your spouse filed for divorce first in a different state, that filing and that state’s laws usually control the proceeding.