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- 1). Visit the Texas Law Help website and download all of the documents necessary to prepare a divorce in Texas in which children are involved. Necessary forms for this process include the Petition for Divorce, the Answer filed by the responding party, an Acknowledgment of Service and various child custody, visitation and support exhibits.
- 2). Research the laws and procedures that govern the Child Support Division of the Texas Attorney General's Office. This office can help do-it-yourself divorce parties calculate the appropriate amount of child support and work out physical and legal custody arrangements. Both parties can use the resources of this office to correctly fill out the child support and custody exhibits that must be filed with the rest of the divorce paperwork.
- 3). Use the instructions at the Texas Law Help site to properly fill out all of the forms that are applicable to your case. It is easiest to file a divorce without an attorney when the parties have reached a mutual agreement concerning all of the major issues of the marriage, particularly issues surrounding the minor children.
- 4). Sign all of the legal documents. Some will need to be signed in front of a notary public. The paperwork will need to be filed in a Texas county where one or both of the parties live. If the children at issue do not live in Texas, the parties may need to file for the divorce in the state where the children reside.
- 5). File the paperwork with the clerk of the county where the divorce action will be handled. The filing fees are different based on the county, so be certain to call the clerk to determine how much the fees will be. After filing, the state requires a married couple to wait for at least 60 days before their divorce can be finalized.
- 6). Call the clerk of court on the 61st day after you filed the case. Ask to schedule a final hearing in your divorce action. On the day of the hearing, the judge will ask some simple questions based on the paperwork that was filed. If the parties remain in agreement and all of the issues regarding the children are in order, the judge will sign a copy of a final order granting the divorce.
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