We’ve all read that celebrities get divorced in under sixty seconds, it costs them under £400 for a divorce and it all seems so easy but is this the truth or is the media blurring our expectations of divorce?

It has been reported that a celebrity couple has recently divorced for under £400 and their marriage was finalised at the decree nisi.  This simply does not reflect the reality of divorce.  Decree nisi is only the “middle” of a divorce and it is a decree absolute that will finalise a divorce and end a marriage.

A divorce has three stages, a beginning, middle and end.  The beginning is issuing your petition.  There is a court fee of £410 that has to be paid upon issue.  Once the petition has been issued, the court will send it to your spouse and they will have 14 days to respond.  Your spouse, “the respondent”, will file their acknowledgement and at this point, you can then apply for your decree nisi – the halfway or middle stage of a divorce.  Once a decree nisi date has been set and the decree nisi has been pronounced, you will then have to wait six weeks before you can apply for your decree absolute.

Even the most amicable of divorces will take approximately three months to finalise.

It is unrealistic and unfair that the divorce procedure is misrepresented in the tabloids. In fact, it is providing the public with a distorted view of how long a divorce actually takes and how much it will cost.  Even if a couple were to amicably divorce with minimal assistance from family lawyers or other legal representatives, the court fee alone is set at £410.  Combine that with a court fee of £45 for your financial consent order and the minimum that a person has to pay is £455.

If you are worried about costs, the divorce procedure or you are simply unsure about what to do, then use Oratto to find the divorce solicitor who is right for your needs.