Uncontested Divorce for Spouses in Different Countries With No Shared Property

The Situation

Two spouses who had been married for under three years and separated for about half a year decided to end the marriage by agreement. One of them lived in Florida. The other lived overseas and was traveling during the case. They had no children, no home, no vehicles, no retirement accounts, no debts, and no joint bank accounts, so there was nothing to divide and nothing to litigate.

Neither spouse had a Florida driver's license. Each carried a passport from a different country, and the marriage certificate came from a third country. That mattered for two reasons: the court still needed proof that the Florida spouse had lived in the state for six months, and the notary needed identification it could accept for a video session.

What They Agreed On

The Marital Settlement Agreement was short because there was little to settle:

• Each spouse keeps his or her own bank accounts and personal belongings.
• Both spouses waive alimony.
• Neither spouse changes a name. The wife keeps her own name.
• The husband pays the court costs and both notary fees.
• Each spouse pays his or her own attorney's fees.

With no children, no parenting plan and no child support were needed.

How the Case Moved

The spouses hired the firm and the packet was drafted right away. The review email went out the same day. The spouses sent back a few small corrections, and an updated set of documents went to them the same day that also included a court information sheet.

Because the Florida spouse relied on a passport rather than a Florida license, the packet included a sworn statement from a witness who could confirm his Florida residency. Each signer then joined a remote online notarization session by video, using a passport as identification. The two sessions were scheduled around travel and time zones, and the notarized documents went to the court right after they came back.

The divorce was filed 4 days after the spouses hired the firm. The judge entered the Final Judgment 4 days after filing, which was 8 days after they hired the firm.

What Slowed It Down

Not much did. The only friction was logistics: both spouses were traveling at different points, so the two signing sessions had to be fitted around time zones, and one set of corrections to the documents had to be made before signing.

What Other Couples Can Take From This

This case is a small example of how an agreed divorce can move when there is no property or children to resolve, both spouses review the documents promptly, and signing does not require anyone to be in the same room or even the same country. The documents still have to be accurate and complete, and each spouse is responsible for reviewing them before signing.