Legal Question in Family Law in Japan
Legal US divorce outside of the US
My girlfriend is going back to Japan in August 2001. She is legally married to a man that resides in Washington state. There are no children involved. She wants to know if she can file for divorce in Japan, and get divorced in such a way that is recognized in the US. If so, how does she go about doing this in Japan?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Legal US divorce outside of the US
Your girlfriend can file for a dissolution in any state or country where either she or the ex meets the residency requirements. In California those requirements are 6 months. Check with a local attorney about doing a default dissolution, it could not be less expensive there than it is here. Good Luck, Pat McCrary
Re: Legal US divorce outside of the US
Your friend needs to file for divorce in Washington state if she wants the divorce to be legal in the United States. She can go to the local clerks office and ask for the divorce papers. They usually have a packet containing instructions and all of the papers necessary to file for divorce. She might need to retain an attorney in Washington so that he can appear for her at the necessary hearings that will be held to finalize the divorce. She may want to hire one to handle the entire divorce since she will be in Japan and it might take longer in case she needs forms sent from the Washington court. If she doesn't hire an attorney, she will need to fly back to Washington every time there is a hearing. If she waits to file in Japan it will not be recognized in the States.
Good luck.
John Hayes, Esq.
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