How a sole application works
- 1
You start online.
Eligibility check, price, account, 15 minutes of questions, marriage certificate upload, payment into trust.
- 2
We prepare and check.
A family lawyer reviews eligibility, dates, jurisdiction and children's arrangements and drafts the application.
- 3
You meet your lawyer on a short video call.
Booked from your dashboard; you show your ID, confirm the details, approve the draft and sign electronically. Nothing is filed before this call.
- 4
We file and get a hearing date.
Usually two to three months out — hearings are listed in order of filing, so the sooner your application is complete, the sooner your hearing.
- 5
We serve your ex.
By post with an Acknowledgment of Service if they're likely to sign and return it, or by a professional process server if not. You never have to hand anything to them yourself. We file the affidavit proving service at least 28 days before the hearing (42 if they're overseas).
- 6
The hearing.
You don't attend — since June 2025 that's true for every applicant, children or not, and hearings are held electronically. If your ex files a Response (they have 28 days after service, or 42 if overseas) your lawyer reviews it and advises — a Response is rare for an undefended divorce, and if any further work is needed we quote it in writing before doing anything more. Your ex can't stop the divorce just by objecting.
- 7
Your order.
It takes effect one month and one day after the hearing. We deliver it with your post-divorce checklist.
What's included
- Everything in the joint package (eligibility, lawyer review, drafting, e-signing, filing, court fee payment, order delivery)
- Preparation of the service documents (application, Acknowledgment of Service, Court brochure)
- Service on your ex by post or process server — up to three attempts, included in your fee (regional, interstate and overseas service quoted separately)
- The Affidavit of Service and Affidavit Proving Signature where needed
- Our lawyer attends the first hearing of your application if the Court requires an appearance; any later hearing is separate work, quoted in writing first
- Safe-contact and address-suppression options if you have safety concerns
Possible extras
Extras - fixed fees, only if your situation needs them
Each of these is a fixed fee including GST, charged only if it applies to you, and only after we have told you in writing which one applies. Anything paid to a third party (registry fee, translator, overseas process server or postage) is charged at cost on top and we tell you the amount first.
| Circumstance | Fixed fee |
|---|---|
| Separated under the same roof for any part of the 12 months | $350 |
| No marriage certificateaffidavit; replacement certificate is a disbursement at cost | $250 |
| Marriage certificate not in Englishtranslator's fee at cost | $150 |
| Further evidence about arrangements for children under 18 | $250 |
| Former spouse outside Australiaoverseas server or postage at cost | $250 |
| Former spouse cannot be foundsubstituted or dispensed service application | $900 |
| Names or details differ between your documents | $250 |
| Further evidence of jurisdiction | $250 |
| Changes after preparationswitching sole/joint, or correcting incomplete or incorrect information | $250 |
| Further round of up to three service attempts | $260 |
| Optional priority draftingdraft within two business days of complete documents, ahead of our standard queue; does not change the filing date or the Court's timetable | $300 |
Any hearing after the first hearing, a contested divorce, or an application to shorten the one month and one day period is quoted in writing and agreed before we start.
A file-storage fee of $150 per year applies only if you ask us to keep your file beyond seven years, agreed in writing first.
When your ex is difficult
They won't sign anything
They don't have to. Service by process server proves they received the documents; the Court doesn't need their consent.
They're overseas
We serve them internationally by the method that's valid for that country, allow the 42-day period, and prove it to the Court. Any extra cost is quoted in writing and agreed before any work starts.
You can't find them
After reasonable enquiries (we'll guide you through them), we apply to the Court for substituted service — for example by email, social media or via a relative — or to dispense with service altogether. It is quoted in writing and agreed before any work starts, including the affidavit and the hearing.
They file a response opposing the divorce
Rare, and usually about the separation date or jurisdiction rather than "not wanting" the divorce. If it happens we'll explain your options and quote you before doing anything more.
If you have safety concerns
Tell us at the start. We can suppress your address on the application, use a safe contact method you choose, use a professional server, and have a lawyer manage your matter personally. You will never be asked to contact your ex. Safety and privacy →