Simplified divorce is the quickest and cheapest way to end a marriage in Scotland, and our fee for it is £550, all in. It is a form-based procedure with no court hearing, but it is available only in tightly defined circumstances, and using it at the wrong moment can cost you far more than it saves.
Call 0800 779 7848 for a free initial telephone call of approximately 10–15 minutes, or send us a message and we will call you back. We will tell you honestly whether you qualify.
What the £550 covers. Our fee, VAT, the court fee and outlays. On a straightforward simplified divorce meeting the criteria there is nothing further to pay.
If the action becomes defended, or unforeseen work is required, we will tell you before any further charge arises. Cases involving another jurisdiction are more involved and are charged on our normal time basis.
Legal review: Brian Rooney, Managing Partner and Law Society of Scotland Accredited Specialist in Family Law. Last reviewed: 20th July 2026.
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Why Instruct Rooney Family Law
You can lodge a simplified divorce yourself, and where it plainly fits we will say so. What we are paid for is the judgement about whether it fits, because the procedure extinguishes financial claims and that cannot be undone afterwards.
Family Law Only
Family law is not one of the things we do. It is the only thing we do.
Accredited Specialists
Accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as Specialists in Family and Child Law.
Fixed Fee, All In
£550 covering our fee, VAT, the court fee and outlays.
What Is Simplified Divorce?
Simplified divorce, sometimes called the do-it-yourself procedure, is a streamlined route through the sheriff court. Instead of an initial writ, defences and affidavits, the application is made on a prescribed form, sworn before a notary public or justice of the peace, and lodged with the court. Neither party attends a hearing.
It exists for one situation: a marriage that is already over, where nothing remains to be argued about. It ends the marriage, and it does nothing else.
Do You Qualify?
The simplified procedure is available only where the court has jurisdiction and all of the following conditions are met: the divorce is based on one year’s non-cohabitation with your spouse’s consent, on two years’ non-cohabitation, or on the issue of an interim gender recognition certificate; there are no children of the marriage under 16; neither spouse asks the court to make an order for financial provision; there is no evidence that either spouse is unable to manage their affairs because of mental illness, personality disorder or learning disability; and no other court proceedings are under way which might result in the end of the marriage.
The application is made to the sheriff court or the Court of Session on the prescribed form, and where it is based on one year’s non-cohabitation, your spouse’s written consent in the prescribed form is required. If any of these conditions is not met, the ordinary procedure applies instead.
Every one of the following must apply. If a single condition fails, the simplified procedure is not available and an ordinary divorce is required instead.
The ground is separation
You have been separated for one year and your spouse consents, or for two years, in which case consent is not needed. Behaviour and adultery cannot be used in a simplified divorce.
No children under sixteen
There must be no children of the marriage under the age of sixteen. Children aged sixteen or over do not prevent it.
No financial claims
Neither of you is asking the court for financial provision. Anything to be divided must already be resolved, and ideally recorded in writing, before you apply.
Jurisdiction
Either spouse is domiciled in Scotland, or has been habitually resident in Scotland throughout the year ending with the date the application is lodged.
Capacity
Neither party is suffering from a mental disorder affecting their ability to deal with the application.
No competing proceedings
There are no other proceedings in progress, in Scotland or elsewhere, capable of bringing the marriage to an end.
The mistake that costs the most. Financial claims are extinguished when the divorce is granted. If there is a house, a pension, savings or debt still to be sorted out, and you divorce first, those claims are gone.
Pensions are where this bites hardest, because people forget them. Settle the finances first, record the terms in a Minute of Agreement, and then divorce. Doing it in that order costs a little more now and saves a great deal later.
The Process, Step by Step
We check that you qualify
A short conversation establishes the date of separation, whether there are children under sixteen, and crucially whether anything financial remains outstanding. This is the step that protects you.
We prepare the application
The prescribed form is completed and, where the ground is one year’s separation, the consent form is prepared for your spouse to sign.
You swear the application
The form is signed before a notary public or justice of the peace. We arrange this.
The court serves it on your spouse
The sheriff clerk sends the application to your spouse, who has a period in which to object. In most cases they do nothing, which is all that is required.
Decree is granted
The sheriff grants decree and an extract is issued once the appeal period has passed. That extract is your proof of divorce, and you will need it if you remarry.
Timescales depend on the court’s workload and on how quickly your spouse deals with the papers, but a straightforward simplified divorce is generally a matter of weeks rather than months.
Finances and Simplified Divorce
This is the part that matters most and gets the least attention. Simplified divorce assumes there is nothing to divide. It does not divide anything, and it does not preserve any right to have things divided later.
Settle first, divorce second
Agree the house, the pensions, the savings and the debts, record the terms in a Minute of Agreement, and only then lodge the application.
Do not forget pensions
A pension built up during the marriage is matrimonial property and is often worth more than the house. Once divorce is granted, the claim against it is gone. See our guide to pensions on divorce.
Nothing to divide is common
Where a couple separated years ago, sold or transferred the house at the time and have no pensions in issue, there genuinely may be nothing outstanding. That is exactly who this procedure is for.
If in doubt, ask first
The free initial call costs nothing and the question takes minutes to answer. It is a great deal cheaper than discovering the position afterwards.
Our complete guide to divorce in Scotland explains both routes, the likely timescales, and how finances are dealt with.
If You Do Not Qualify
Where there are children under sixteen, financial matters to resolve, or the ground is behaviour rather than separation, an ordinary divorce is required. Our fee for an ordinary undefended divorce is £1,550, also all in.
Negotiating a financial settlement, or dealing with a defended action, is separate work charged on a time basis in three-minute units rather than the six-minute units many firms use. Read more about how our fees work, or see our main divorce page.
Common Questions About Simplified Divorce
How much does a simplified divorce cost in Scotland?
Our fee is £550, all in. That covers our fee, VAT, the court fee and outlays, and on a straightforward simplified divorce meeting the criteria there is nothing further to pay. Where the simplified procedure is not available, our fee for an ordinary undefended divorce is £1,550, also all in.
How long does a simplified divorce take?
Generally a matter of weeks rather than months, depending on the court’s workload and how quickly your spouse deals with the papers. There is no hearing to attend and no evidence to lead.
Do I need a solicitor for a simplified divorce?
Not strictly. The procedure is designed to be usable without one. The value of taking advice is the check on whether you qualify, and in particular whether anything financial is still outstanding, because financial claims are extinguished when the divorce is granted and cannot be revived.
Can I use the simplified procedure if we have children?
Only if there are no children of the marriage under the age of sixteen. Children aged sixteen or over do not prevent it. Where there are younger children, an ordinary divorce is required, although that does not mean anything is in dispute.
What if we still have a house or pension to sort out?
Then the simplified procedure is not appropriate yet. Settle the finances first and record the terms in a Minute of Agreement, then apply for the divorce. If you divorce first, the claims are gone, and pensions are the asset most often overlooked.
Does my spouse have to agree?
Only where the ground is one year’s separation, in which case they must sign a consent form. If you have been separated for two years, their consent is not required, although they are still notified by the court and may object.
Can I use simplified divorce if my spouse lives abroad?
Possibly, provided the jurisdiction requirement is met and there are no competing proceedings elsewhere. Cases with an international element are more involved, and we charge those on our normal time basis rather than the fixed fee.
What is the difference between simplified and ordinary divorce?
Simplified divorce is a form-based procedure with no hearing, available only on separation grounds where there are no children under sixteen and no financial claims. Ordinary divorce is the standard court action used in every other case, including where behaviour is founded on or finances need to be resolved.
From our own files. A simplified divorce typically takes three to five months from application to decree. Our fee is £550, all in.
What Our Clients Say
The decision to instruct Rooney family law was one of the best decisions I have made.
Excellent guidance, advice, professionalism and reassurance throughout.
It has been important to be able put my trust in someone at such an important and difficult time in my life.
Everyone has been supportive and helpful throughout.
I would not hesitate to recommend your services.
Thanks to Brian Rooney and all the wonderful staff in Uddingston.
Thank you once again
I hope I never have to use a family lawyer again, but if I did I wouldn’t hesitate to use Rooney Family Law and can’t recommend them highly enough.
Wonderful!! Thank you Rooney Family.
Simplified divorce is dealt with at your local sheriff court. Our divorce solicitors in Glasgow and our divorce solicitors in Edinburgh, and our divorce solicitors in Stirling, handle these applications regularly.
Find Out If You Qualify
Tell us the date you separated, whether there are children under sixteen, and whether anything financial is outstanding. We will tell you in one call which procedure applies and what it will cost. Free initial telephone call of approximately 10–15 minutes.
