Residency Requirements for Divorce: Mississippi
Mississippi has its own divorce laws regarding who is eligible to file for a divorce. Each state protects its jurisdiction and makes sure the appropriate laws are applied to the appropriate cases. To prevent your case from being dismissed, make sure you meet the Mississippi residency requirements. The most common mistake people make is believing they must divorce in the state in which they were married. This is simply not true. Most divorce cases throughout the United States are filed in the county in which the filing spouse resides.
Mississippi Filing Requirements: In order to file for a divorce in Mississippi, residency requirements must be met for the court to accept the case. If the court discovers it does not have jurisdictional rights to hear the case it will not be accepted or it will eventually be dismissed. The requirements are as follows:
A spouse must be a resident of the state of Mississippi for a least 6 months prior to filing. If a member of the armed forces is stationed in Mississippi, he or she and his or her spouse is considered a resident. The divorce should be filed in the county in which either spouse resides if they are both residents and if the plaintiff is the only resident then in the county in which he or his resides. (Mississippi Code - Section 93 - Chapters: 5-5, 5-11)
If you discover that you DO NOT meet at least one of the above residency requirements, you can consider the following 4 options:
1. Do not proceed with a divorce and attempt to save your marriage.
2. Establish residency in Mississippi for the period time set forth above (this does not mean you have to wait to begin the process of getting your documents).
3. Have your spouse do the filing if he or she meets the necessary residency requirements for Mississippi.
4. Choose another state in which you or your spouse may meet the residency requirements (all state residency laws are unique, so be sure to check the state in which you were married as a potential option).
- Start Your Mississippi Divorce Today (5 Great Options!)
- Locate a Mississippi Divorce Professional Near You
- Read More About Mississippi Divorce Laws
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