Expect the entire divorce process to take at least a year and a quarter. First you and your ex must be separated for a minimum of a year and one day, after which you are eligible to make an application to the court. After the matter has been heard in court, it will take one month to become officially divorced.

However, the subsequent division of assets and any agreements regarding child custody and contact will depend largely on how you and your ex are able to agree on yourselves, and how much you require legal services to take on these agreements. If you are on speaking terms then it can take as little as a few weeks to a month or two for consent orders and property division to be finalised.

If communication with your ex is not possible or advisable, or if there is a big difference between what each of you want out of the separation, then things may take a lot longer. You should expect a minimum of six months and more likely it will be much longer, on average two and a half years, until the matter is finalised.