Divorce Applications on the Rise
The December 2019 reduction in the requirement to live apart for divorce from four of the previous five years to two of the previous three years is thought to be the main factor behind the more than 25% increase in divorce applications to the Circuit Court between 2019 (4,050) and 2020 (5,220).
Not unsurprisingly the number of judicial separation applications (sometimes referred to as a half way step to divorce) almost halved in the same period – from 1,206 in 2019 to 617 in 20220.
Spouses can live apart under the same roof if they do not live together in an intimate and committed relationship.
