File for Divorce in Missouri

The information and particulars pertaining to divorce in the state of Missouri is given below:

Condition for Residency

At least one of the petitioners for divorce must have been a resident of Missouri for three months. Divorce should be filed in the county where the person lives who is filing the case.

Reasons for the Divorces

The state of Missouri has only one reason for divorce, and that is that the marriage has been broken beyond repair and there is no chance of resolution.

Principle of Child Custody

Joint or single custody will be awarded on the basis of the following factors:

Domestic abuse by either parent will automatically give other parent custody, and no further thought will be given. The state of Missouri dictates that both parents are to be encouraged towards making joint decision making for the child's welfare.

Rules for Property Distribution

As Missouri is a state of equitable distribution, both partners will retain any property, gifts, inheritances that were acquired before the marriage. Any other property acquired during the marriage will be divided on the basis of factors like contribution of each partner towards the purchase of the property, value of each spouses' individually held property, conduct of spouses during marriage and divorce proceedings, involvement of children and preference to giving property to spouse with custodial rights and any other necessary factor.

Rules for Spousal Support

If the spouse can prove that they cannot sustain themselves and/or there is a lack of sustainable property, or they are guardians of the children, the other spouse may be ordered to pay alimony to that person. Factors to be considered for alimony payment include:

Child Support Guidelines

Either or both parents may be ordered to provide child support. Marital misconduct is not to be considered as a factor. The following factors are considered:

A parent may be required to provide health insurance coverage for any children if such coverage is available at a reasonable cost from an employer, union, or other organization. There are official child support guidelines contained in the statute which are presumed to be correct unless shown to be unjust or inappropriate under the particular circumstances of the case. The court may order the payments to be made through the circuit clerk. [Annotated Missouri Statutes; Title 30, Chapter 452, Sections 340 and 345].

Mediation In Case Of Divorce

Meditation is referred to in cases where children are concerned, apart from those situations where the child has suffered any form of physical abuse.

Filing Pro Se Divorce

There is no need of a lawyer when applying for divorce in the state of Missouri. A divorce case which is filed without any help of an attorney in any of the states is known as Pro Se Divorce.

Literally, Pro Se is a Latin phrase and it means "on her or his own". Process of getting the divorce without the help of lawyer may vary from one State to another. These types of divorces are perfectly legal and enforceable in Missouri, and are actually very convenient. Usually, once settlements have been made regarding property distribution and custody matters among the spouses in case of a mutual divorce, Pro Se Divorces are filed.

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