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How to divorce or end a civil partnership if your partner’s gone missing, you do not know their whereabouts or they are presumed dead

Check you can get a divorce, agree or disagree with a divorce application, what to do if your husband or wife lacks mental capacity.

• Check you can get a divorce

  You can get divorced in England or Wales if all of the following are true:…

• Before you apply

  You must decide whether you want to make a joint application with your…

• How to apply

  To apply for a divorce you’ll need: yours and your husband or wife’s full…

• What happens after you apply

  What happens after you apply depends whether you applied for a divorce…

• Apply for a conditional order or decree nisi

  A conditional order and decree nisi are documents that say that the court…

• Finalise your divorce

  To end your marriage you must apply for either: a final order a decree…

• If your husband or wife lacks mental capacity

  You can apply for a divorce if your husband or wife ‘lacks mental…

How you can have a marriage annulled, the reasons you can give for annulling a marriage and the forms you will need to apply for an annulment. This includes information from the withdrawn D191 guide.

• When you can annul a marriage

  Annulment (sometimes known as ‘nullity’) is a different way of ending a…

• Before you apply

  You and your husband or wife can choose to work out: arrangements for…

• Apply for an annulment

  You can apply to have your marriage annulled as soon as you get married.…

• Apply for a conditional order or decree nisi

  The other person must respond to your nullity application within 14 days,…

• Apply for a final order or decree absolute

  6 weeks after you get the conditional order or decree nisi you can apply…

Sue Husband was previously Head of Education for the UK at McDonald’s. She started her career with McDonald’s in 1987, as a 16-year-old crew member, whilst studying for A-levels. Sue went on to work in a variety of roles in...

• Updated: 11 April 2018

The company went into liquidation owing customers at least £97,000

• Updated: 5 March 2025

Exploring changing patterns in adolescents’ access to education and learning in Ethiopia.

• Updated: 13 January 2022

When your husband or wife applies for divorce: how to respond, agree or disagree, start your own proceedings, court hearing, apply for a decree absolute.

How to get a legal or judicial separation if you want to separate from your partner without divorcing them.

Marriage Allowance allows you to transfer some of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner: what you get and how to apply for free.

How the death of your partner affects your benefits, tax and pension. What you can claim and who to tell about your change of circumstances.