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Step 1
Decide upon what grounds you are getting a divorce. There is no such thing as an "irreconcilable differences" divorce in New York City. If the divorce is amicable, the closest thing you can file for is what is known as "abandonment." This means that the two of you have lived in separate residences for at least one year. Other grounds for divorce in New York are adultery or imprisonment for three years. If you are the party filing for the divorce and you serve your spouse with the papers for divorce on the grounds of abandonment and your spouse does not dispute the charge, that is proof enough in the eyes of the law that both of you have lived apart for at least one year.
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Step 2
Fill out your Judgment of Divorce paperwork. The two of you must go to the county clerk's office in the Supreme Court house in downtown Manhattan. There you will fill out the Judgment of Divorce paperwork. It is a nine-page document. Read it very carefully and fill it out completely. Once complete, it must be "served" to your spouse, meaning, given from party A (you) to party B (your spouse) by a third party. Ask one of the office workers to help and they can serve for you. It's a matter of semantics, but it is part of the process.
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Step 3
Purchase your index number. After your paperwork is complete, you must purchase an index number. This is $210. After that, have both of your signatures notarized (there's a notary on premises).
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Step 4
File your Note of Issue. Upstairs from the county clerk's office is the filing office. There you will take your completed paperwork and file your newly purchased index number. The filing fee is $125. After that, you simply wait until a judge gets your paperwork and signs off on it. This could take anywhere between two to three months. Once you receive notification in the mail that your divorce is final, you can purchase a copy of the divorce paperwork for your own records at the courthouse for $8.
