QUESTION
What's the price for uncontested divorce and how to start it, if I'm not living in U.S.?
Asked on Dec 26th, 2013 on Divorce - South Carolina
More details to this question:
Hi, my name is Alex, I'm citizen of Russia. 2 years ago when I was in USA, I got married in South Carolina. Two weeks after marriage I already moved back to my country. Unfortunately, our relationship didn't work out. We have both agreed to get a divorce without any demands from each other (like financial support) so we can continue living our separate lives. She is now expecting a baby, due in 12 weeks. The baby of course, is not mine. The problem is I am living outside US so I do not know how exactly to start the process and how much approximately it will cost me.
1 ANSWER
Alex, you are in a tough situation. In South Carolina you can mail in the paperwork to start a divorce, and it costs $150 to file it, and $25 or so to have her served with the paperwork which is a requirement. You should be careful, though because if she is pregnant, the court may assume you are the father and order you to pay child support, even if you don't have visitation since you are in Russia. You will need a paternity test to determine if you are the father, which will cost more money. If you are not the father, and haven't been with her since she got pregnant, you may be able to use adultery as your reason for the divorce, which will mean she can never get alimony from you, though with such a short marriage, it is not likely to be given to her anyway. I hope this helps.
Answered on Dec 31st, 2013 at 10:25 AM