ALASKA DIVORCE

Does Alaska have jurisdiction?

When the defendant is a nonresident, then you must have been a bona fide resident of this state prior to the filing of the complaint, which must be stated in the complaint and proved at the final hearing (Drivers License, etc.). There is no time period required.

If you have minor children living with your spouse in another state for over six months then you should consider filing in that state as that court has jurisdiction over the children. You spouse can waive that jurisdiction in writing.

County of Filing:

You should file the divorce in the county you live in. You or your spouse must have a Alaska address in the county of filing. Alaska civilian residents living overseas may file in Alaska if they have maintained their residency in Alaska. 

Format of Divorce Petition:

Case Type:   DOS

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA

AT _____________

We consent to the court’s jurisdiction and request a decree of dissolution of marriage pursuant to AS 25.24.200-.260. An incompatibility of temperament has caused the irremediable breakdown of our marriage. We agree that this petition constitutes the entire agreement between us. We understand that agreements not written in this petition or its attachments will not be enforceable.

I.       INFORMATION ABOUT PETITIONERS

[The rest of the petition will outline all the specifics of your divorce.  We will prepare these documents for you, ready to sign and file with the court.]

MILITARY:

Active duty members of the military (or their spouses) may file in Alaska if they have been stationed in Alaska for 30 days or were residents of Alaska when they entered active duty. ReliableDivorce.com staff includes former active duty officers and enlisted personnel and are completely knowledgeable on the special military requirements and the “Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act”. Our staff prides themselves on the service they provide our military members. We also provide a "Affidavit for Non-Appearance" at the final hearing due to military service.

GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE: NO-FAULT or FAULT ?

Alaska permits “no-fault” divorces, or dissolution of marriage, to be awarded on the grounds of “incompatibility of temperament which has caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage." Most clients use this ground as it does not require proof at the final hearing.
A divorce in Alaska can also be granted on the following "fault" grounds:
AS 25.24.050. Grounds For Divorce.
A divorce may be granted for any of the following grounds:


(1) failure to consummate the marriage at the time of the marriage and continuing at the commencement of the action;
(2) adultery;
(3) conviction of a felony;
(4) willful desertion for a period of one year;
(5) either
(A) cruel and inhuman treatment calculated to impair health or endanger life;
(B) personal indignities rendering life burdensome; or
(C) incompatibility of temperament;
(6) habitual gross drunkenness contracted since marriage and continuing for one year prior to the commencement of the action;
(7) incurable mental illness when the spouse has been confined to an institution for a period of at least 18 months immediately preceding the commencement of the action; the status as to the support and maintenance of the mentally ill person is not altered in any way by the granting of the divorce;
(8) addiction of either party, subsequent to the marriage, to the habitual use of opium, morphine, cocaine, or a similar drug.

WAITING PERIOD:

PROPERTY OF THE MARRIAGE:

In a divorce, the property (land, house, buildings, and items of personal property) owned (and debts owed) by the couple is divided between the parties. In an uncontested divorce, this division is accomplished by means of a Marital Separation Agreement (MSA). You and your spouse must agree to the property and debt division and memorialize your agreement in the Marital Separation Agreement, which will be incorporated by reference into the Decree of Divorce that ultimately ends your marriage. You may agree to divide the property any way you like, as long as a basic fairness is maintained. You do not need to list items already divided or not an important issue in the divorce. You may revise the MSA after receipt of the documents from us by sending an email with your changes. There is never a charge for revisions at any time up to one year.
If you cannot agree on any item of this division, the dissolution of marriage transforms into a contested divorce. If at the final hearing the divorce is still contested we do not provide advice for that hearing. You may need to consult an attorney or be prepared to tell the judge why you feel your requested division of property is fair.

SPOUSAL SUPPORT:

Spousal Support is either agreed upon by the parties or determined by the judge in a contested hearing.   We cannot give legal advice regarding spousal support but will include your request in the documents.

The questionnaire you fill out will outline the custody, visitation and support for the children.  We will prepare the documents accordingly, and we will also prepare a Marital Separation Agreement (at no additional cost) which outlines in specific detail all the provisions regarding the children.  Both parties must attend the parenting class or get a waiver.  A list of the places in Alaska to attend may be obtained from the court.  Check with the court to see if you can attend online at:  http://positiveparentingthroughdivorce.com/?lt_c=goo1&gclid=CM3g-J_VppMCFQu8iQodGDaf4w.

CHILD SUPPORT:

The child support will either be an amount you and your spouse agree upon, or it will be determined for you by the court, according to the Alaska Child Support Guidelines.  If you wish the court to calculate the amount then you will need to file the standardized Child Support Guidelines form and Child Support Income Statement/Affidavit which we provide.  See “Alaska Child Support Calculator” on any search engine such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.

CUSTODY:

You may have Joint Legal Custody or Sole Legal Custody.  This determines how the decisions are made regarding the raising of the child(ren).
Physical custody may be with one residential parent or “SPLIT CUSTODY” where the child(ren) live a substantial time with each parent.

VISITATION:

This can be any program agreed upon by the parties and may change from time to time.  If the parties cannot agree then the state guidelines are in effect.  State guidelines are outlined in the MSA provided with your documents.  You do not need to list your present visitation agreement as it will change from time to time but you may if you wish.  “No Visitation” or “Restricted Visitation” may be requested by supplying the reason on the questionnaire.

You must file the divorce documents in the Circuit Court in the county that you are filing in.  Some court addresses for larger counties are as follows:

COURT ADDRESSES:

You must file the divorce documents in the Superior Court in the county that you are filing in. Some court addresses for larger counties are as follows:
Anchorage Superior Court: 825 W. 4th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501-2004 Phone: 907-264-0671
Fairbanks Superior Court: 101 Lacey Street, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 Phone: 907-452-9277

FILING FEES:

The court filing fees for a divorce in Alaska is approximately $150.

If your spouse won't sign and must be served, then the sheriff may charge a fee of around $25 to serve your spouse.

If you don't know the whereabouts of your spouse, then your spouse will need to be served by publication.  The average  publication fee is approximately $75.

You may call the Clerk of the Court in your county to determine the exact fees in your county.

METHODS OF SERVICE: 

1.  The most common way is to have your spouse sign the documents AFTER you have filed the complaint with the court.  You can hand deliver the documents , mail them or have a third party deliver them to your spouse.  This method is available even though your spouse is incarcerated. 

2.  If your spouse will not sign or you not not sure if your spouse will sign then you can get service by having the sheriff in spouse’s county serve a copy of the filed documents along with other documents requiring spouse’s signature.  You can contact the sheriff in any state to serve your spouse.  You can also get service by Certified Mail, (Return Receipt Requested) if your spouse lives out of state.  If your spouse is incarcerated then you can get service by having the prison/jail officials serve your spouse.

3.  Service by publication.  If you cannot find your spouse after a diligent search then you can publish.  The publication fee for the newspaper is approximately $65 but varies for different counties.  Upon the filing of the Affidavit the clerk shall direct that service of notice be made by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the complaint is filed.  We provide all the required documents for service by publication.

Go to our questionnaire and get started today.