People can get married in a matter of days if they don’t care about a lavish wedding. In Louisiana, engaged couples can obtain a marriage license and then get married after just a 24-hour waiting period.
In other words, it only takes two days in many cases to go from engaged to legally married. It can take substantially longer than that to end a marriage. Depending on the circumstances of the couple seeking a divorce, they may have to wait quite some time before they can legally end their marital union in accordance with state laws.
What are the mandatory waiting periods imposed in Louisiana divorce cases?
Two factors determine the waiting period
There are several different rules that might apply to divorce proceedings in Louisiana depending on the circumstances. Those factors include the type of marriage and whether or not spouses share children.
For those without children, the standing waiting period is 180 days. If the divorcing couple has minor children, then the waiting period increases to 365 days. After the waiting period, the divorce can proceed. It may take as little as 30 days to finalize the divorce once the couple is eligible.
If the couple registered a covenant marriage, then the rules that apply in a divorce are often different. They usually need to separate for at least one year if they do not have minor children or 18 months if they have minor children together.
In other words, the mandatory waiting period between when spouses initiate the earliest aspects of the divorce process and when the courts can move forward with the divorce could be anywhere from six to 18 months depending on whether the couple has a covenant marriage and or shared children.
People may need to make arrangements to manage their finances between when they file the earliest paperwork and when the courts grant them the divorce. The process for handling personal needs including housing and income tax returns can shift depending on the type of marriage and how long it takes the couple to get a divorce.
Learning more about Louisiana divorce proceedings can be beneficial for those who realize their marriages have become unsustainable. Although it does take longer to divorce than to get married, couples can still complete that process successfully if they have the right support and appropriate expectations.
