a valid Florida driver’s license, Florida identification card, or voter registration card issued
to one of you at least 6 months prior to filing for dissolution of marriage; or
the testimony of another person who knows that either you or your spouse has resided
in Florida for more than 6 months and is available to testify in court; or
an affidavit. To prove residence by affidavit, use an Affidavit of Corroborating Witness,
Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(i). This form must be signed
by a person who knows that either you or your spouse has lived in Florida for more than
6 months before the date that you filed the petition for dissolution of marriage. This
affidavit may be signed in the presence of the clerk of the court or in the presence of a
notary public, who must affix his or her seal at the proper place on the affidavit.
3. You must pay the appropriate filing fees to the clerk of the circuit court. If you and your
spouse cannot afford to pay the filing fees, you may fill out an Application for Determination
of Civil Indigent Status, and file it with your petition for dissolution of marriage. You may
obtain this form from the clerk and he or she will determine whether you are eligible to have
filing fees waived.
4. You will need to complete a Family Court Cover Sheet, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure
Form 12.928. The clerk’s office can provide this form.
5. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may either obtain a date and time for a court appearance
from the clerk of court, or a date and time will be provided to you by the court. On that date,
you and your spouse must appear together before a judge. Depending on your jurisdiction,
you will either complete a Final Judgment of Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, Florida
Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.990(a), and bring it with you to the hearing, or the
judge will prepare it at the hearing. At that time, if all of the papers are in order, the judge
may grant a final judgment dissolving your marriage under simplified dissolution of marriage
procedures by signing the final judgment.
6. If you fail to complete this procedure, the court may dismiss the case to clear its records.
Where can I look for more information?
Before proceeding, you should read “General Information for Self-Represented Litigants”
found at the beginning of these forms. The words that are in “bold underline” in these
instructions are defined there. For further information, see chapter 61, Florida Statutes, and
Rule 12.105, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure.
Special notes...
Remember, a person who is NOT an attorney is called a nonlawyer. If a nonlawyer helps you fill
out these forms, that person must give you a copy of a Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Florida
Instructions for Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.901(a), Petition for Simplified Dissolution of
Marriage (02/18)