Sole or joint divorce application?

A sole divorce application is when one spouse (the applicant) initiates the divorce process without the other spouse’s involvement.

A joint divorce application is when both spouses apply to divorce together. A joint divorce is potentially quicker and cheaper as the court fee can be shared, and both parties can use the same legal professional.

A big difference is that a joint application can be changed to a sole application at the Conditional Order stage if one spouse decides not to cooperate. In contrast, it is not possible to change a sole application to a joint application once proceedings have begun.