Key Takeaways
- You cannot go below the legal minimum of 26 weeks: a 20-week reflection period plus a further 6 weeks and a day. It applies to everyone.
- Most divorces take longer than that. The current average is around 44 weeks, and the extra time is nearly always avoidable delay rather than the law.
- The quickest movers apply online, apply jointly where they can, and get every form right the first time.
- Sorting your finances during the 20-week wait, with the consent order ready to go, stops the money side holding up your final order.
Waiting for a divorce to come through can feel like being stuck in limbo. You have made the decision, you just want it done, and every week that passes with nothing happening is maddening. If you are asking how to speed things up, you are far from alone. It is one of the most common questions we hear.
The honest answer comes in two halves. There is a part of the timeline that nobody can shorten, and a much bigger part that is entirely within your control. Most divorces that drag on do so because of avoidable delay, not because the law itself is slow.
This guide sets out exactly what you can and cannot change, and the practical steps that genuinely move things along. If you want advice on your own situation, Osbourne Pinner offers a free 30-minute consultation with a family law solicitor.
First, the part you cannot speed up
Since no-fault divorce arrived in April 2022, every divorce in England and Wales runs on a fixed minimum timetable. There is a 20-week reflection period after the court issues your application, then a wait of 6 weeks and a day after the conditional order before you can apply for the final order. Put those together and the fastest possible divorce takes about 26 weeks, or roughly six months. We explain the full timeline in our guide to how long a divorce takes.
So if anyone promises you a “quickie divorce” in a matter of weeks, be sceptical. That has not existed since the law changed. The 26-week floor applies whether your split is friendly or bitter, whether you use a solicitor or not, and whether you file on paper or online.
So why is my divorce taking so long?
Here is the frustrating part. While the legal minimum is 26 weeks, the current average is closer to 44. That gap, the best part of five months, is almost never down to the law. It is delay: forms sent back for small errors, an ex who takes their time responding, court backlogs, and finances left unresolved until the very end.
The good news is that most of that is avoidable. Get the controllable things right and you can keep your divorce close to the statutory minimum instead of drifting towards the average.
What actually speeds things up
Apply online rather than on paper
Online applications move through the system noticeably faster than paper ones, and the vast majority of divorces are now filed this way. The portal walks you through each step and cuts out a lot of the small mistakes that get paper forms bounced back.
Apply jointly if you can
If you and your ex are on reasonable terms, a joint application is usually quicker than a sole one. There is no respondent who has to be served and no acknowledgement to wait on, so you remove a whole set of points where things can stall.
Get every detail right the first time
One wrong date, a misspelled name, or a marriage certificate that does not match can send your application back and cost you weeks. It sounds obvious, but sloppy paperwork is one of the biggest causes of delay. Check everything twice, or have a solicitor check it for you.
Respond to everything promptly
If you are the respondent, return your acknowledgement of service within the 14 days you are given. If you are the applicant, apply for the conditional and final orders as soon as you are eligible. The clock will not chase you. Miss your moment and the delay is on you.
Use the 20-week wait, do not waste it
The reflection period is not dead time. It is the ideal window to sort your finances and get a consent order drafted so it is ready to submit the moment you can. Couples who leave the money until after the final order often add months to the whole thing.
What will not speed it up
It is worth clearing up a few myths, because chasing them just wastes energy. Agreeing on everything does not shorten the statutory waits; it only removes the arguments that would otherwise add time on top. Paying more does not let you skip the reflection period. And there is no secret “fast track” for an ordinary divorce. Anyone selling one is really just selling the normal process with a shinier label.
Can the waiting periods ever be shortened?
In rare cases, yes. The court has a discretion to shorten the 20-week or 6-week period in a particular case, under the same law that brought in no-fault divorce. There are no fixed rules for when it will agree, so it comes down to the judge, and it is kept for genuinely exceptional situations. A terminal illness, where someone wants their affairs settled, is the kind of circumstance where a court has been willing to do it. For the vast majority of divorces, though, the timetable simply stands.
The finances are usually the real hold-up
For most people, the divorce itself is not what drags. It is the financial settlement. Sorting out money, property and pensions takes negotiation, and turning your agreement into a binding consent order takes the court a further 6 to 12 weeks to approve. Start that early, ideally during the 20-week reflection period, so the finances are not the thing everyone is waiting on at the finish.
How a solicitor keeps things moving
A good solicitor cannot magic away the waiting periods, but they do stop you losing weeks to avoidable mistakes. They make sure the application is right first time, keep an eye on every deadline, and get your consent order drafted and ready so nothing stalls at the end. If you want more ideas, we have also written about the different ways to get a quicker divorce.
The most useful mindset is a simple one: you cannot beat the 26-week clock, so put your energy into never adding a day to it. Apply online, apply jointly if you can, respond quickly, and get the finances sorted during the wait. Do that and your divorce will be about as fast as the law allows.
Speak to a Divorce Solicitor About Moving Things Along
The wait for a divorce is hard enough without avoidable delays stretching it out further. Setting the process up correctly from the very start is the surest way to keep it close to the legal minimum.
At Osbourne Pinner, our divorce solicitors can handle your application, keep every deadline on track, and get your financial consent order ready so nothing holds up your final order.
Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We always recommend speaking to a qualified solicitor for advice tailored to your specific circumstances.
We offer a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation. You can speak with us via video call or visit our offices in Harrow, Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus or Manchester. To arrange your consultation, call 0203 983 5080, email [email protected] or complete the form below.
