Residency Requirements for Divorce: Tennessee
Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.
Tennessee Filing Requirements: In order to file for a divorce in Tennessee, 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:
The spouse filing for the divorce must be a resident of the state at the time the grounds for divorce took place. If the grounds took place outside the state of Tennessee, one of the spouses must be a resident for 6 months prior to filing. The divorce shall be filed in the county in which both spouses reside if they are both residents; or the county in which the respondent resides if he or she is a resident; or the county in which the petitioner resides. (Tennessee Code - Volume 6A, Title 36, Sections 36-4-104 and 36-4-105)
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee.
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 Tennessee Divorce Today (5 Great Options!)
- Locate a Tennessee Divorce Professional Near You
- Read More About Tennessee Divorce Laws
Tennessee Online Divorce Products and Services:
Tennessee Premium Online Divorce Service
Tennessee Premium Online Agreement Service
Tennessee Premium Online Parenting Plan Service
Tennessee Premium Online Will Service
Tennessee Divorce Forms & Downloadable Software
Tennessee Divorce Response/Answer Forms Software
Tennessee Grandparent's Rights Manual
Tennessee Divorce & Financial Checklist
Tennessee Divorce Guidebook with Forms
Tennessee Child Support Calculation Report
Tennessee Pension Valuation Report
Tennessee Prepared Divorce Forms & Instructions
Tennessee Separation Agreements
Tennessee Parenting Agreements
Tennessee On-line Parenting Education Class
Tennessee School Evaluations for Custody Cases
Tennessee Divorce, Marriage, & Birth Certificates
Tennessee Name Change Notification Kit
Tennessee Wills for the Divorcing
Tennessee Custody/Visitation/Support Modification Forms
Win Your Custody Battle 2008 (Mother's and Father's Versions)
