Divorce Help

To file for a divorce in Arkansas you must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before filing and have grounds for divorce. The the most commonly used grounds for divorce are "General indignities" and "separation for 18 months." The grounds must have happened within the last five years. If your spouse does not want the divorce, then you have to prove the grounds for divorce and residency at the final hearing. 

Every divorce starts, legally, with one person (the plaintiff) filing a complaint asking the court to grant a divorce decree. The person who files the complaint asking for the divorce is the plaintiff. The person who the divorce is filed against is the defendant. The resources below explain more rules and provide instructions about being granted a divorce in Arkansas. 

This section contains links that offer information about annulment, divorce, and separation law in Arkansas. There are pdf fact sheets, streaming video and interactive forms below.

FACT SHEETS & LEGAL INFORMATION

• Fact Sheet - Annulment
  This fact sheet provides a general overview of annulment law in Arkansas.
• Fact Sheet - Contempt
• Fact Sheet - Covenant Marriage: Separation and Divorce
• Fact Sheet - Divorce Process (Overview)
  This fact sheet provides a general overview of divorce law in Arkansas. For a comprehensive divorce form packet see the Interactive Form - Divorce Packet.
• Fact Sheet - Divorce Process (Spanish)
  This fact sheet provides a general overview of divorce law in Arkansas in Spanish.
• Fact Sheet - Income Tax (Proof of Dependents)
• Fact Sheet - Legal Separation
• Fact Sheet - Sample Court Testimony
• Fact Sheet - Service by Publication
• Fact Sheet - Service by Publication (Spanish)

FORMS & COURT INFORMATION

• Form - Confidential Information Sheet (Court Cover Sheets)
• Form - Confidential Information Sheet (Instructions) (Court Cover Sheets)
• Form - Domestic Relations Cover Sheet and Instructions (Court Cover Sheets)
• Interactive Form Packet - Divorce Packet
  This resource creates a divorce form packet personalized with your information. Click the link above to get started or learn more about this resource.  
• Interactive Form Packet - Contempt
  This resource creates a form packet personalized with your information.  It includes a demand letter, motion for contempt, and an order to show cause for use in cases where the opposing party is not following a court order.  
• Sample Form Packet - Contempt (this packet includes a Sample Demand Letter, Motion for Contempt, and an Order to Show Cause for use in cases where the opposing party is not following a Court Order)
• Sample Form Packet - Service by Publication (Warning Order) 
  This sample form packet provides information about getting service (notice of a lawsuit) to your spouse if you do not know where your spouse is or if your spouse will not accept service by mail.  

VIDEO RESOURCES (Watch & Learn)

• Video Factsheet - The Divorce Process Pt. 1 (Grounds)
  This is part 1 in a series for low-income Arkansans in need of information about the divorce process in Arkansas. This video factsheet was produced by the Arkansas Legal Services Partnership LegalTube Project
• Video Fact Sheet - Going to Court: What to Expect
  This video provides procedural information for litigants that are not represented by an attorney (pro se) - This video describes what to expect in the courtroom as explained by Circuit Court Judge Jim Spears. This video factsheet was produced by the Arkansas Legal Services Partnership LegalTube Project in partnership with the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission.
• Video Factsheet - Service Members Civil Relief Act (Overview)
  Part 1 in a 4 part series for Individuals with Military Connections that may benefit from the protections and rights provided by the SCRA. These rights include family law issues. This video factsheet was produced by the Arkansas Legal Services Partnership LegalTube Project for the Stateside Legal Project.  See all 4 videos.

OTHER RESOURCES (Other Websites)

• Arkansas Circuit Court Domestic Relations - Information and Forms
• ARKANSAS LAW - Arkansas Code - Unannotated (LexisNexis)
• Arkansas Vital Records - Marriabe and Divorce Records
• Divorce in the Military (www.StatesideLegal.org)

The following fact sheets are Adobe Acrobat PDF files. You may need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.

Disclaimer
We are providing this information as a public service. We try to make it accurate. Sometimes the laws change. We cannot promise that the information is always up-to-date and correct. We do not intend this information to be legal advice. We do not intend it as advertising or solicitation. By providing this information, we are not acting as your lawyer. Always talk to a competent lawyer, if you can, before taking legal action. Some of the items listed here have not been prepared by us, but rather are links to information prepared and posted by others. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information posted on these sites.