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Filing for divorce in Missouri

What you file, where you file, what it costs, and the rules that catch people out. Compiled from Missouri court and statute sources.

How to read these entries.

This is general legal information compiled from state court websites, state statutes, and official self-help materials. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone.

Why we publish it. Most people meet the family law system once, at the worst moment of their life, knowing nothing about it. That gap is where people get overcharged and poorly served. This page exists so you can walk in already knowing roughly how your state works, ask sharper questions, and recognize when an answer does not sound right. It is here to help you hold your attorney to a standard, not to replace what they do.

Talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. That is the normal path, not a fallback for when something goes wrong. Nothing here can account for the facts of your marriage, your finances, or your children, and those facts are usually what determines the outcome. Many states also have free legal aid and court self-help centers, and we link to them by state.

Verify before you rely on anything. Every entry cites its source. Follow that citation to the official state site and confirm it still says what we say it says, and that it applies to your situation. Filing fees, form numbers, e-filing rules, and local standing orders change frequently, and a form number that was right last year can get your filing rejected today.

The same state can treat you very differently depending on whether your spouse agrees, whether you have minor children, whether you file jointly or alone, and which county or judge hears it. Waiting periods run from filing in some states and from service in others. Deadlines described here as fixed are the statutory default, and a judge may still have narrow discretion in an emergency.

If you are in danger, do not wait on any of these timelines. An order of protection is a separate and much faster process than a divorce, and it does not depend on any waiting period described on this page.

Your roadmap
What you file
CAFC001 Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, which must be notarized
CAFC050 Statement of Income and Expenses
CAFC040 Statement of Property and Debt and Proposed Separation Agreement
Confidential Case Filing Information Sheet
Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage, for vital records
CAFC501 Parenting Plan with a Form 14 child support calculation, if you have children
CAFC010-R Respondent's Answer, or an Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service
CAFC070 Judgment and Decree of Dissolution, plus an In Forma Pauperis motion if you need the fee waived
Where you fileCircuit court in the county where either spouse lives. St. Louis city counts as its own county.
What it costsRoughly $102 to $233 by circuit, plus about $25 to $45 for service, and $25 to $75 for the parenting class. Waivable.
The sequence
1. Complete the petition and have it notarized. The court does not provide notary service, though most banks will for a few dollars.
2. File the petition with the income, property, and filing information forms, adding a parenting plan and Form 14 if you have children.
3. Serve your spouse. You cannot serve your own papers. They can instead sign a notarized Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service, which skips sheriff service.
4. If you have children, both parents complete an approved parenting education program.
5. Wait the 30 days from filing. Most uncontested cases still take 60 to 90 days in practice.
6. Submit the proposed Judgment and Decree for the judge to sign.
If you and your spouse never lived together in Missouri and they do not voluntarily enter an appearance, the court may lack jurisdiction over them. Many circuits add local forms, so check your county. Free official forms are at selfrepresent.mo.gov.
Court forms

Missouri files a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage (Form CAFC001), verified before a notary, in the Circuit Court of either spouse's county. Fees run about $130 to $230 by county, waivable with an In Forma Pauperis motion. Supreme Court pro se forms are required for self-represented filers.

Missouri Courts: dissolution of marriageOfficial pro se dissolution forms (Petition CAFC001 and related), free from the Missouri courts.
Missouri Self-Represented Litigant PortalGuided help and free forms for filing your Missouri divorce without a lawyer.
State rules and gotchas

One of the shortest waits in the country, but you still cannot skip it Verified Jul 2026

Missouri needs only 90 days of residency for one spouse and a 30-day waiting period from filing before a judge can finalize. That 30-day cooling-off period cannot be waived, even in a fully agreed case, though most uncontested divorces still take 60 to 90 days in practice.

Source: RSMo Section 452.305. Confirm the current rule with the court before relying on it.

If your spouse denies the marriage is broken, you may have to prove a reason Verified Jul 2026

Missouri is no-fault, but "modified." If your spouse contests that the marriage is irretrievably broken, you must prove one of five specific facts, such as adultery, abandonment for six months, or living apart for 12 to 24 months. That can turn a quick divorce into a slower, evidence-based one.

Source: RSMo Section 452.320. Confirm with the court.

Misconduct will not block the divorce, but it can shrink your share Verified Jul 2026

Fault does not stop a Missouri dissolution from being granted, yet the judge can weigh marital misconduct when dividing property and deciding maintenance. And once entered, the property division is final and cannot be modified later.

Source: RSMo Section 452.330. Confirm with the court.

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