Both agree? Finish your divorce, step by step.

A divorce is uncontested when both spouses agree on every major issue: property and debt division, spousal support, and child custody and support if there are children. Agreement can happen from the start or develop during the case; either way, once you're aligned on terms, the case follows the uncontested path rather than going to trial.

At minimum: FL-100 (Petition) and FL-110 (Summons) to start the case, or FL-700 if filing jointly; FL-115 (Proof of Service) unless you filed jointly; a Response or a default request if the other spouse doesn't file one; FL-140, FL-150, and FL-142 or FL-160 for financial disclosures; and FL-180 and FL-190 for judgment. FL-105 is added if you have minor children, and FW-001 if you need a fee waiver.

California requires a mandatory 6-month waiting period before any divorce, contested or not, can be finalized. That clock starts on the date of service, or the date of filing for a Joint Petition. Most uncontested cases finalize close to that 6-month mark once disclosures are exchanged and judgment paperwork is ready.

A traditional uncontested divorce still uses the Petitioner and Respondent structure: one spouse files first, and the other agrees, responds, or lets a default with a written agreement proceed. The Joint Petition (form FL-700), available since January 1, 2026, removes that structure entirely: both spouses file together with no service and no response deadline. Both paths require full agreement; they differ in how the paperwork starts.

No. Financial disclosures (FL-140, FL-150, and FL-142 or FL-160) are required in every California divorce, contested or uncontested, joint or not. Agreement on terms doesn't remove this requirement; it usually just means the disclosures go faster since both spouses are cooperating.

Yes. If new disagreements come up during the case, such as over how to divide a specific asset, the case can shift toward a contested path. Preparing thorough, accurate paperwork from the start reduces the chances of that happening over a misunderstanding rather than a real dispute. Virdix is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; if you're unsure whether you actually have full agreement, that's worth a conversation with an attorney before you file.

A joint petition for summary dissolution of marriage california is a different, older process than the Joint Petition (FL-700) covered on this page. It uses Form FL-800 and only qualifies for very short marriages, generally under five years, with no children together, limited property and debt, and both spouses waiving spousal support. Most couples file the regular or Joint Petition path instead, since the summary dissolution eligibility rules rule out most marriages.

The court filing fee is $435 to $450, or $0 with a fee waiver, and that part of the average cost of uncontested divorce in california is the same for every case. Beyond the fee, an attorney for a simple, agreed case tends to fall at the lower end of the $5,000 to $15,000 typical full-representation range, since there's no litigation to bill for. Virdix's flat $79 limited-time price covers the paperwork itself, separate from the court's filing fee.