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Divorce Information for Self-Represented Litigants
- Bring your completed Original Petition for Divorce to be filed. All documents must be single sided.
- Filing fees are due at the time of filing. For more information about family suits filing fees, visit the fees section of the Family Division’s page.
- The Petition will be file stamped, assigned a cause number, and a court. If you need to reach out to our office about your case, please have this information available.
- In most cases the Petition must be on file for at least 60 days before you can go before the judge for a final hearing. During this time, you must contact the Travis County Law Library for a mandatory case review.
- If a citation was served and an answer was filed, you will need to schedule a hearing date with the Court Administrator and notify the other party of the hearing. To schedule a hearing, please call (512) 854-2484.
- If you or your spouse will receive child support, the District Clerk can help set up your account. Before doing so, our office will need the required information and form located here: Record of Support Order 1828A (PDF). By law, all child support payments in Texas must go through the State Disbursement Unit. That address is:
P.O. Box 659791
San Antonio, Texas 78265-9941
This must be specified in your Final Decree and the Order Withholding.
- A Vital Statistic Form must be completed and filed when you are filing the Final Order. This is a State mandated form and can be located here VS-165 REV 07/2017 Suits Affecting Family
We’re sorry. We are legally prohibited from giving legal advice. However, we can help clarify any of the information or instructions detailed above. Please call our office at (512) 854-9457.
Documents being filed into a sealed case may be sent to: [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
We are not attorneys. Furthermore, by law, we cannot:
- Give any legal advice.
- Give any instructions on filing your divorce.
- Answer any questions on the accuracy of your papers.
- Answer any questions on how to present your case to the judge.
If you intend to represent yourself pro se (without the help of an attorney) you must know how to prepare and file the proper pleadings yourself and present your case to the court.
For forms and basic instructions, please visit:
We advise you to consult an attorney if you have any questions or are unsure about what you need to do.
Forms
- Travis County Standing Order for Family Law Cases (PDF) — Effective for All Family Law Cases filed on or after January 1, 2020
- Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs or an Appeal Bond in Justice Court
- Record of Support Order 1828A (PDF).
- Vital Statistic Form VS-165 (PDF) — Revised 08/2021
More Resources
- If you represent yourself, your forms must go through a review. A reference attorney at the Law Library’s Walk-In Case Review will perform this review. Visit the Self-Help Center for more information.
- For information regarding Protective Orders, visit the County Attorney’s Office page.
