Each state and province requires you or your spouse to have resided for some stipulated length oftime before being eligible to file for divorce in that state or province. Six months is common, but itcould be shorter. Waiting Period Most states/provinces have a waiting period from the date of filing your paperwork to the date yourdivorce order is issued. Waiting periods are usually 6 to 12 months. Legal Grounds for Divorce More and more states and provinces grant divorces on a no-fault basis. This means you file fordivorce on the basis that the marriage breakdown is permanent. The legal language is"irreconcilable differences". This basis for divorce doesn't place blame on either party. Some states and provinces still have fault-based grounds such as substance abuse, cruelty,adultery, and other grounds. Main Issues in Divorce The main issues in divorce are: Division of propertyDivision of debtChild / Spousal supportChild Custody Not all divorce situations will include all these issues. Each divorce situation is different.However, where these issues do arise, they must be resolved at some point in the divorceprocess. This can be early on in the process via agreement between you and your spouse.Sometimes, when agreement is not reached, the issues must be taken to mediation and/or Court. How to File for Divorce Please keep in mind this article is generally speaking. Divorce is legislated by each state andprovince and therefore there are specific laws for filing for divorce in each state and province. That said, generally, you file for divorce via a divorce petition (in some jurisdictions it may becalled something different - but it's the same thing). One spouse completes and files in a Courtthe divorce petition. The petition sets out: the grounds (fault or no-fault)key information about the parties and marriage such as children, place and date of marriage,names of the parties, property information, child custody information, and/or support information(child and/or spousal).