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Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

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Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

Divorce/separation

Very long wait for conditional order - anyone else?

36 replies

FantaLima · 05/12/2023 16:23

Hi all, I’m wondering if anyone else is in a similar position or able to give some advice.

My STBX applied online for our conditional order last week and has had an email saying we will hear about the court date by the end of January!!! I know it can then be a few more weeks until you actually get the order.

Can anyone help me understand why it’s taking so long? I was told it would be like 2/3 weeks until the court date, not 8-10!

Did anyone get their court date earlier than the date on their email?

We’re doing it ourselves so no lawyer to call.

Thanks!

OP posts:

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FlamingoFlamboyance · 05/12/2023 17:38

I suppose it depends how busy the courts are? I wouldn't class 8-10 weeks as a very long wait, is there a reason you're in such a rush?

FantaLima · 05/12/2023 19:04

He’s very impatient because he has a baby on the way and his stress is making me stressed! For me it’s more that I just want to put it all behind me.

We’ve already waited for 20 weeks. Everyone I spoke to (and could find online) said it was 2/3 weeks from applying for the conditional order so 8-10 is another long wait that I wasn’t prepared for/wasn’t expecting.

tbf I think all the guidance I saw saying the ‘new style’ divorce takes 26 weeks was a bit misleading.

Thanks for your response!

OP posts:

JKM66 · 06/12/2023 10:51

It tells you a min of 6 weeks.

FantaLima · 06/12/2023 12:25

I know it’s a min of 6 weeks to apply for the final order once you get the conditional order. I just didn’t realise there would also be a long wait to actually get the conditional order in the first place once it’s been applied for.

OP posts:

peanutbutterkid · 06/12/2023 21:39

I seem to recall they tell you 6 weeks (business day weeks) but it can be much faster. Ours was about 3 weeks IIRC. Allow an extra 10 days for holiday delays, end January sounds very feasible.

nyorksdad · 07/12/2023 08:20

Just applied this morning after the very long 5 month wait and it says I'll receive an email by Feb 1st , Even then I think it's saying that the email will have a date when it will be announced in court so that could be another few weeks

Really frustrating, just want to put all this behind me

FantaLima · 07/12/2023 11:32

That’s just how I feel. Thanks for your answer!

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nyorksdad · 07/12/2023 11:37

I'm hoping that the fact it said 'by the 1st of Feb' and not on the 1st Feb means it might be sooner.

We are doing it ourselves as well and the 5 months already felt like an eternity!

FantaLima · 07/12/2023 12:29

Fingers crossed!

Seems like they’re giving everyone a deadline to hear back that’s 8 weeks after the application date. I know from scrolling other posts that it’s been 4 weeks in the past.

I guess the courts are busy plus there will be a slowdown at Xmas.

Let’s hope we both get an Xmas miracle and hear back sooner!

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EpicHydra · 07/12/2023 14:20

I think some of the extra time on when you'll hear is due to Christmas and any current back log.

However, be prepared for it to still be longer after that point.

I applied for the Conditional Order on 11 Sep and the email stated I would hear a date by 9 Oct. That came and went. Got the email confirming when it would be pronounced on 17 Oct. Conditional Order was then pronounced on 31 Oct.

FantaLima · 07/12/2023 15:17

Thanks for sharing that info. Must have been a very frustrating experience for you! But it’s good to know what might happen next.

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FantaLima · 31/12/2023 17:20

Just in case this thread is useful to anyone else - we heard back and got our date for conditional order to be read out yesterday. So four weeks before the ‘deadline’ in the original email.

It will be read out in three weeks from now. Then six weeks ( +1 day) until it’s all done.

It’s a relief!

OP posts:

nyorksdad · 01/01/2024 08:03

Hi - thank you very much for taking the time to update

That gives me a bit of hope - applied Dec 7th, been told by Feb 1st

Good luck with the rest of the process!

greekeconomist · 01/01/2024 21:29

I/ we applied for the conditional order 20th Dec and have a court date of 10th Jan - think its being "read" in Birmingham so guess different areas have different time lines?

nyorksdad · 02/01/2024 10:31

That's really good! Looks like North Yorkshire are short staffed here!

JKM66 · 02/01/2024 10:47

Yes. Thank you for updating us. I applied on 13th December and was told i will hear from them on 8th February. Hopefully they will do it quicker than that .

mantou2 · 06/01/2024 19:45

Does anyone have any updates on theirs? Applied last week at start of Jan, was told it would take 8 weeks to hear back, but they refused to give an estimate of how long it would take AFTER you get the email specifying the court date. Could be days? Weeks? Further months? Can’t believe it is such a long wait…hoping to hear some good news from someone who was also told they had to wait 8 weeks :( I’m hoping it won’t actually be that long

Unsure21 · 07/01/2024 18:47

Hi @FantaLima so just to be certain, it will take an additional 13 weeks from the date you applied for your conditional order?

Unsure21 · 07/01/2024 18:49

@mantou2 keep us updated. I apply for mine on 24th January. 26 weeks from start to finish is very misleading.

mantou2 · 07/01/2024 21:03

I will definitely let you know!
any updates from anyone else…?

nyorksdad · 08/01/2024 09:36

To give everyone a lift, I've just had the confirmation email that it will be read out on the 17th Jan (they had said up to Feb 1st to get the confirmation mail)

So that's about a month wait including xmas from applying

Unsure21 · 08/01/2024 13:19

Thanks for that...so when they read it out in court it's another 6 weeks???

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nyorksdad · 08/01/2024 14:48

Yes that's right - from what I've heard, they then grant the final divorce within 48 hours of applying (after the 6 weeks)

mantou2 · 08/01/2024 17:40

Good news, thanks very much for the update!

FantaLima · 11/01/2024 13:06

Thanks to everyone who's been sharing, it makes it easier to deal with all the uncertainty!

Just for clarity in my case (because someone asked) my timeline was like this:

Applied for divorce and waited the 20 weeks
Applied for conditional order and got an email back saying 'you will hear back about the date for your conditional order to be read out by [date in 8 weeks time]'
In reality heard back about the date after 4 weeks, 'your conditional order will be read on [date 3 weeks later]' (so 7 weeks after the application)
Once that is done, will then wait the 6 weeks (+a day) and apply for final order

So, the whole process from first applying to being divorced is, in my case, a minimum of 33 weeks.

From this thread, and a few others I found, it seems that the waiting time between applying for your conditional order and actually getting it (the day it is 'read out' in court) can vary quite a bit. It seems to depend on where you are, how busy the court is, and a bit of luck.

I hope this thread will help other people who are tearing their hair out like I was!

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