New York Divorce Laws & How to File (2024 Guide)

You can get a divorce in New York only if you have sufficient connections to the state. Otherwise, the court does not have jurisdiction over your case.

To meet residency requirements, any one of the following must be true:

• You or your spouse have lived in New York for at least two years
• You got married in New York and at least one of the two spouses has lived in the state for a minimum of a year
• You lived together as a married couple in New York and at least one of the two spouses has lived in the state for a minimum of one year
• Grounds for the divorce arose in New York and at least one of the two spouses has lived in the state for a minimum of a year as of the time of the divorce filing

Here are the possible grounds, or reasons you can list on divorce papers, for why your union should come to an end:

• Irretrievable breakdown. Your marriage has been broken beyond repair for at least a six-month period. This is the grounds you use if you are pursuing a no-fault divorce.
• Cruel and inhuman treatment. Within the last five years, the defendant treated the plaintiff so cruelly that it placed the plaintiff in mental or physical danger so it is not safe for them to continue to live together.
• Abandonment. The defendant abandoned the plaintiff for a year or more by physically moving out with the intention to not return. Another option is constructive abandonment, in which the defendant refused to have sexual relations with the plaintiff for a year. (The refusal must be unjustified, willful, and continual, and despite repeated requests for the resumption of sexual relations.)
• Imprisonment. If the defendant was imprisoned for a period of three or more years after getting married, the plaintiff can pursue a divorce.
• Adultery. This requires proof of an affair conducted by the defendant during the marriage.
• Separation. If the couple lives apart for a year with a valid separation agreement that they create themselves or that a court creates for them, this is grounds for divorce.

You need to obtain a divorce from the Supreme Court in New York—the New York court system’s highest court is the Court of Appeals, so the Supreme Court in the state is not the equivalent of the federal Supreme Court and is more like a district or county court in other states.

You should file for divorce with the Supreme Court in the county where either you live or where your spouse lives currently. The NYCourts Court Locator can help you to determine where you should file.

You must buy an Index Number at the County Clerk’s Office to initiate divorce proceedings and must file required legal documents including a Summons with Notice or a Summons with Verified Complaint.

Your spouse must be served with divorce papers and provided with the opportunity to respond to the court.

If you file for divorce, your spouse must be served with papers or provided with proper notice of the court action you have initiated. There are different ways to serve your spouse including the following:

• Giving the papers directly to the defendant. If your spouse is not contesting any aspect of the divorce and is willing to return a signed and notarized copy of the Affidavit of Defendant, this is the easiest approach.
• Someone over the age of 18 must personally hand the divorce papers to the defendant. The person who hands your spouse the paper must be a New York resident if the papers are served in New York. If the papers are served out of state, the person serving must be legally permitted to do so in that state or must be a New York resident.

Whoever serves the papers must complete the Affidavit of Service. It is important to make sure the defendant has received notice so they have an opportunity to respond. If you don’t know where your spouse is, you can ask the court to allow other types of service, including service by publishing a notice in a newspaper.

You have a choice of a contested or uncontested divorce in New York.

An uncontested divorce means you agree on all legal matters raised, including child custody and support, alimony and division of property. This is a cheaper and quicker way to get divorced and is likely to lead to better outcomes since decisions are made by compromising with your spouse.

A contested divorce means the court must decide at least some legal issues. This can be more expensive since a court hearing is required. You and your spouse will both be bound by the court’s decision, even if neither of you are entirely happy with it.

New York does not have a waiting period for divorce proceedings. However, depending on your grounds for divorce, you may need to meet certain requirements as far as time apart. For example, if you are divorcing based on irretrievable breakdown, you must show the marriage has been broken for a minimum of six months. If you use separation as grounds, you must be separated for a year.

Getting a divorce in New York can be complicated. Getting professional help is recommended. An experienced family law attorney who has handled many divorce cases can guide you through the specifics of the New York divorce process. The New York State Bar is a solid place to start.