The Divorce Decree - Dictating The Final Decision
When the lengthy divorce process is finally over, the result is the divorce decree - a piece of paper officiated by the court, formally ending your marriage. Any judgments made in the trial are confirmed when the divorce decree is received. A divorce decree allows the couple and the family to move on with their lives, and to begin the process of rebuilding new ones. It is an important step in starting over.
A Document To End Disagreement
What is the purpose of a divorce decree? Besides being the document that officially establishes you and your spouse as being divorced, it also states the final settlement. This means that any disagreement that may have occurred during the marriage and divorce process is settled in the divorce decree.
In a contested divorce, the judge rules on the different aspects of these disagreements, and the judge's final orders are stated in the divorce decree. Typically, decrees cover several issues. These usually include alimony, property division, child support, custody, and visitation.
Alimony and property division pertain to the former spouse. The first is a sum of money paid by the Respondent to the Petitioner as a sort of "reparation" for their past behavior. Property division is regarding "who gets what." For short marriages this does not typically pose too large of a problem. However, the longer the marriage lasted, the more "shared stuff" there is to fight over.
Child support, custody, and visitation have to do with the children involved in the marriage. If no children resulted from the marriage, then there is no need for these issues to be mentioned in the divorce decree. Custody of the children is perhaps one of the most emotional issues that results from divorce. The parent who does not get custody typically must pay money in the form of child support, and they may or may not be granted visitation rights.
Safe And Sound
The divorce decree is stored in your local courthouse, in the vital records office. Typically, a copy of the document is mailed to both parties involved, and additional copies can be obtained by writing to the courthouse. Although you might not want to think about your divorce after it is finally over with, future situations in which your divorce decree is necessary might arise.
The End Of An Era
Finally receiving the divorce decree can be an emotional time. The divorce process is finally over with, and all the final decisions have been made. The divorce decree is what finally seals the deal.
