The final, and sometimes incidental, piece of the process is the divorce itself. The ultimate goal of all of this legal wrangling is to get a legal change made to your marital status—this legal change must be documented in a divorce decree, signed by a judge, and filed with the court system. Just like a marriage license or birth certificate, this is recorded with the state, thus making you an officially divorced person.
States differ pretty widely in terms of how the actual divorce (as opposed to issues like alimony, property distribution, custody, etc.) is handled. In many states, the divorce is rolled into the package of attendant issues, and you will automatically receive a divorce decree when your other agreements or orders are finalized. In other states, the divorce decree is a distinct legal proceeding, and must be handled separately from the other issues. In some parts of the country there are even laws that regulate the timing of when issues can be considered relative to the issuance of the divorce decree. Ultimately, while the moment when you receive your copy of the document declaring you to be divorced may be anticlimactic, it’s a necessary step along the path to a new life.
