✓ California Uncontested Divorce Online

Online Divorce in California, Without the Attorney Fees

Answer a few guided questions and get the complete set of official California Judicial Council divorce forms, prepared from your answers for one flat price. You review, sign, and file. We do the paperwork.

Check my eligibility: free

✓ California-specific court forms
✓ Prepared from your answers
✓ One flat price
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

A relieved woman smiling while completing her divorce forms online

Online divorce in California

How Uncontested Divorce Works in California

An uncontested divorce in California is one where you and your spouse agree on everything the court has to decide: how you divide community property and debts, whether either of you pays spousal support, and, if you have children together, custody, visitation, and child support. California is a pure no-fault state: you cite irreconcilable differences, and neither of you has to prove the other did anything wrong. Since 2026, agreed couples can even file one joint petition together: one filing, one court fee, and no serving of papers.

FormsPal is a self-help document-preparation service, not a law firm. We don't give legal advice, act as your attorney, or tell you what to agree to. We take the answers you give us and prepare the official Judicial Council forms California courts require for an uncontested divorce. You review every document, sign it yourself, and file it with your superior court yourself. If your case is contested, involves safety concerns, or you're unsure what's fair, we recommend talking to a licensed California attorney before you file.

This page walks through how online divorce works in California: who qualifies, the forms you'll receive, the mandatory financial disclosures, the six-month waiting period, and how to file with your county's superior court. If an uncontested divorce fits your situation, you can start with a free eligibility check and see your exact form package before you pay anything.

Start my free eligibility check

The California requirements

What California Requires to Divorce

The rules your court applies to every uncontested California divorce. The questionnaire checks each one for you.

Residency

Live in California for 6 months, and in your filing county for 3 months, before you file.

Waiting period

A mandatory six-month wait before the divorce can be final, counted from the day your spouse is served or responds (or from filing, on the joint petition).

Grounds

California is no-fault, you cite irreconcilable differences, so no one has to prove wrongdoing.

Court filing fee

Paid directly to the court, separate from FormsPal, typically $435–$450 and varying by county. A fee waiver is available if you can't afford it. For the full cost picture, attorney fees included, see what a California divorce costs.

Is an online divorce right for you?

Online divorce fits uncontested cases: where you and your spouse agree on property, debts, support, and any parenting arrangements. If your case is contested, involves safety concerns, or your spouse can't be located, we recommend speaking with a licensed California attorney first.

How it works

Three Steps to a Finalized California Divorce

From your first question to a signed judgment, here's exactly what to expect.

1

Answer questions

about 5 minutes

Tell us about your marriage, your agreement, and the California county you'll file in.

2

We build your court forms

ready right away

The exact California court documents your case needs, completed with your information. Review every page and edit anything before you sign.

3

Sign & file

guided, at your pace

E-sign your forms: no notary needed in California: then file with your county's superior court in person, by mail, or electronically where offered.

Then California's mandatory six-month waiting period runs before your judgment can take effect, we track your dates and remind you at every milestone.

Your California form package

The Court Forms You'll Receive

These are the official California documents we prepare for an uncontested divorce. Which forms you actually get depends on your answers: with children or without, property or none, name restoration, or a fee waiver.

Joint Petition: Marriage or Domestic Partnership

Petition—Marriage/Domestic Partnership

Judgment

Declaration Under UCCJEA

Schedule of Assets and Debts

Request to Waive Court Fees

These 6 are highlights, not the whole package. Behind them sits our catalog of 35 official California documents, and your package includes every one your answers call for, from the first filing through the final judgment.

A completed and stamped court document set

Completed with your information

Every form is the real Judicial Council document California courts require, not a generic national template. You answer a plain-language questionnaire once and we fill each one in, including the financial disclosures required in every California divorce.

See my form package

The timeline

How Long a California Divorce Takes

Preparing your forms takes a session or two. The rest is driven by the court's mandatory six-month waiting period.

1

Prepare & review: a day or two
Answer the questionnaire, review your completed forms, and make any edits.
2

File your petition: day 0
File with your county's superior court clerk: in person, by mail, or electronically where offered. On the joint petition, filing also starts the six-month clock.
3

The six-month waiting period
California law bars a judgment from taking effect until six months after service or response (or after filing, on the joint petition), even in fully agreed cases.
4

Judgment on the papers
After your judgment package is submitted, the judge reviews and signs it without a hearing, and the court mails you the Notice of Entry of Judgment.

Where you file

Filing in Your California County

You file with the superior court of your county. Here are the details for California's largest metros, and we cover all 58 counties.

Los Angeles County

Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles: Family Law

📍Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (central family-law courthouse; LA also hears family law at district courthouses. Confirm venue by ZIP before filing)

📞to-verify (per-courthouse; see lacourt.org Contacts & Locations)

🖥️Approved EFSPs (list at lacourt.org/page/DV0014). Mandatory for attorney-represented litigants since 2021-11-15 (General Order 2022-GEN-009-00). Self-represented litigants MAY e-file (optional).

San Diego County

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego: Family Law Business Office

📍Central Courthouse, 1100 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101 (Family Law Business Office, 4th floor). Regional: East County (250 E Main St, El Cajon 92020), North County (325 S Melrose, Vista 92081), South County (500 3rd Ave, Chula Vista 91910).

📞(619) 844-2777 (Central family law)

🖥️Odyssey eFileCA (Tyler) via approved EFSPs, open to attorneys AND self-represented litigants. Paper filing accepted (original + two copies). Tyler 'Guide and File' interview service also available.

Orange County

Superior Court of California, County of Orange: Family Law Clerk's Office

📍Lamoreaux Justice Center, 341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868 (Family Law Operations, 7th floor). ALL dissolution filings at Lamoreaux ONLY (occourts.org).

📞to-verify

🖥️eFileCA via the court's approved EFSPs. Mandatory for attorneys (Local Rule 700.7). Self-represented parties EXEMPT but 'strongly encouraged'. In-person, mail, and eFile all accepted (original + two copies; SASE for mail).

Filing in another California county? Your package includes a filing guide with your county's superior court details and the order to file everything, all 58 California counties are covered.

Why FormsPal

Why Californians Choose FormsPal for an Online Divorce

✓Official Judicial Council forms: the exact FL-series documents every California superior court requires (FL-100 or the new FL-700 joint petition, disclosures, judgment package), not a generic national template.
✓Prepared from your answers, you fill out a plain-language questionnaire once and we complete every form with your information, including the financial disclosures California requires in every divorce.
✓One flat price: a single, upfront cost for the whole package, versus the thousands an attorney typically charges by the hour for an uncontested case.
✓Built for the new joint petition: when you both cooperate, we prepare California's newest option: one co-signed filing, one court fee, and no serving of papers at all.
✓No courtroom, no notary, agreed California divorces are approved on the paperwork alone. The judge signs your judgment without a hearing, and nothing in the packet needs notarizing.
✓Clear next steps, a California-tailored filing guide with your county's superior court details, whether you file on paper or electronically.

Questions

California Online Divorce FAQ

Is an online divorce legal in California?

Yes. California lets you represent yourself in an uncontested divorce. You don't have to hire a lawyer. The superior court grants the divorce exactly as it would with an attorney. We only prepare the official Judicial Council forms from your answers. To file, one spouse must have lived in California for the last 6 months and in the filing county for the last 3 months. You review, sign, and file the paperwork yourself.

How long does a divorce take in California?

California has a mandatory six-month waiting period. The earliest your divorce can become final is six months after your spouse is served or responds (Fam. Code §2339). If you file together on the new joint petition, the clock runs from the day you file. Preparing your forms takes only a session or two. The six months is the law's minimum, no matter how you file.

What is the new joint petition for divorce?

Since January 2026, California couples who agree on everything can file one Joint Petition (form FL-700) together instead of one spouse suing the other. You both sign a single filing, pay a single court fee, and skip serving papers entirely, there's no respondent to serve. It's the simplest route for cooperative couples, and our questionnaire prepares the joint-petition package whenever you choose it.

What does a California online divorce cost?

FormsPal charges one flat price to prepare your complete California form package, a fraction of what an attorney typically bills for an uncontested case. The court's first-paper filing fee is separate and paid directly to the court, $435 in most counties (up to $450 in a few). Couples filing the joint petition pay one fee instead of two. If you can't afford it, we prepare a fee-waiver request (form FW-001).

Do we have to go to court?

Almost never, in an agreed case. California finalizes uncontested divorces on the paperwork: you file a sworn declaration (form FL-170) instead of testifying, and the judge reviews and signs your judgment without a hearing. There's no prove-up appearance like some states require, and nothing in the packet needs notarizing. The court mails you the signed Notice of Entry of Judgment when it's done.

What are the required financial disclosures?

Every California divorce, even a fully agreed one, requires both spouses to exchange preliminary financial disclosures: a Schedule of Assets and Debts and an Income and Expense Declaration, served on each other with a cover declaration. Your package includes all of them, prepared from your answers, plus the proof-of-service form the court requires before it will enter your judgment. Agreed couples typically waive the second, final round of disclosures. that waiver form is included too.

Can we use this if we have children?

Yes, as long as you and your spouse agree on custody, visitation, and child support. When you tell us you have children, your package adds the documents California requires: the custody declaration (UCCJEA), a parenting plan order, and the child-support attachment and registry forms. You'll answer questions about your arrangement, and we prepare the forms to match. If custody is still disputed, an online uncontested divorce isn't the right fit.

Can I go back to my maiden name?

Yes. California restores a former name as part of the divorce judgment itself, no separate name-change case or extra fee. When you ask for it, we mark the request on your petition and the judgment so the judge orders it when signing. Either spouse can restore their own former name, including on the joint petition, and once the judgment is entered you can update your ID and records.

Can I file the forms myself?

Yes. California superior courts accept filings from self-represented people in every county: in person, by mail, or electronically where your county offers e-filing (attorneys are usually required to e-file; you aren't). We give you a California filing guide with your county's superior court details and the order to file everything. You pay the court's filing fee directly to the court when you file.

What if my spouse stops agreeing partway through?

It happens, and it doesn't have to end the process. Most couples work through the sticking point and continue. Your answers and documents wait for you, and you can change any answer before filing. If the disagreement holds, the case is no longer uncontested and this service honestly isn't the right fit: a contested California divorce needs a family-law attorney or a mediator. Within your first 30 days, everything you've paid is fully refundable, no questions asked.

Also from FormsPal

Online Divorce in Other States

Texas online divorce → New York online divorce →

Start Your California Divorce Today

Free eligibility check. See your exact form package before you pay anything.