Where is my divorce?

Where is my divorce?

The court gives every online divorce application a 16-digit case reference number. Quote it to the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre by phone, web chat or online form and they can update you on your case. Nobody outside HMCTS, including us, can look up where your case stands. This tool works from what you tell it: tick what you have filed or received and it shows where you sit on the six-stage timeline, what comes next, and the typical wait from here.

This is not legal advice

This tool does simple logic on what you tell it and general timing information published by GOV.UK and HMCTS. It cannot see your case, tell you whether it is on track, or predict what a court will decide. Speak to a family solicitor before you agree or sign a financial settlement.

Lives only in your browser. We never see it.

Tick what you've filed or received0 of 6

Nothing ticked yet: every stage below shows as still to come.

Your case reference number

Every divorce application made through the online service is given a 16-digit case reference number, shown as four groups of four digits (for example 1234-5678-9012-3456). For applications issued on or after 6 April 2022, this is the only case number used from start to finish (GOV.UK, MyHMCTS guidance).

You will find it on the notice of proceedings the court sends to both parties and on court correspondence that follows (GOV.UK). Quote it whenever you contact the court or an adviser about your case.

How to check with HMCTS

The Courts and Tribunals Service Centre handles divorce enquiries (Find a Court or Tribunal). Contact them with your case reference number:

  • Telephone: 0300 303 0642 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, closed on bank holidays)
  • Welsh language line: 0300 303 5171
  • Web chat and online form: available at GOV.UK
  • Post: HMCTS Divorce and Dissolution Service, PO Box 13226, Harlow, CM20 9UG

If you applied online, you can sign in to the GOV.UK divorce service to check the progress of your case. If you are the respondent and have not yet replied, you can respond online using the access code from your notice of proceedings (GOV.UK).

There is no public lookup for divorce cases. The only HMCTS case tracker covers Court of Appeal civil cases, not family proceedings. Nobody outside HMCTS, including us, can check where your case stands. This tool cannot do it either. It works entirely from what you tick above, which is why it needs your input rather than your case number.

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Sources

The stage descriptions and typical waits above lean on these. Primary sources where they exist.

  1. GOV.UK – Get a divorce: how to apply – the £628 application fee, what happens when you submit, and Courts and Tribunals Service Centre contact details (phone, web chat, online form). Checked 18 August 2026.
  2. GOV.UK – Get a divorce: finalise your divorce – the 20-week and 43-day statutory waits either side of the conditional order. Checked 17 August 2026.
  3. GOV.UK, HMCTS – Family court fees (EX50) – the £628 divorce fee and the £62 fee for a financial order by consent. Fee list last updated 13 July 2026, checked 17 August 2026.
  4. GOV.UK – Looking after money and pensions during divorce – how a consent order and form D81 are reviewed by a judge. Checked 17 August 2026.
  5. HMCTS Family Court Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2026 – the published median of 27 weeks to conditional order and 39 weeks to final order, cited in full in our how long does divorce take guide. Checked 17 August 2026.
  6. GOV.UK – Reply to a divorce application: how to reply – the access code, responding online, and signing in to check case progress. Checked 18 August 2026.
  7. GOV.UK, MyHMCTS – Submit a sole divorce application under new law – the 16-digit case reference number format used from 6 April 2022. Checked 18 August 2026.
  8. Find a Court or Tribunal – Divorce Service Centre – HMCTS postal address, telephone, Welsh language line and the no in-person service notice. Checked 18 August 2026.

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