How Do You Divorce Someone When You Don't Know Where They Live?

TL;DR

Learn how to get divorced in Illinois when your spouse has been missing for years and you don't know their current address.

Transcript

what's up everyone divorce attorney Bobby Buchanan here in Chicago this is Illinois divorce TV - today we're talking about how do you get divorced from somebody that abandoned you years ago and you don't know where they live well to get divorced in Illinois you don't need to know where somebody lives and whether or not you can ultimately find them ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🐕‍🦺 Personal service divorce involves hiring a private investigator to locate and serve divorce papers to the missing spouse.
• 🎟️ Publication divorce requires making diligent efforts to find the missing spouse and publishing a notice in a newspaper if they cannot be located.
• 👻 Personal service divorce grants the court jurisdiction over the spouse, allowing the court to address various issues in the divorce.
• ➗ A publication divorce focuses solely on granting the divorce itself and does not address other issues like property division or support.
• 🔒 Hiring a private investigator can often simplify the process of locating a missing spouse.
• 🎟️ The court will assess the efforts made to find the missing spouse in a publication divorce.
• 🐕‍🦺 In cases where property issues are at stake, it may be necessary to pursue a personal service divorce.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the two types of divorce when the spouse's address is unknown?

The two types of divorce are personal service divorce and publication divorce.

Q: How does personal service divorce work?

In a personal service divorce, a private investigator is hired to locate the missing spouse and personally serve them with divorce papers. This gives the court jurisdiction over the spouse.

Q: What is a publication divorce?

In a publication divorce, efforts must be made to find the missing spouse. If the spouse cannot be located, a notice is published in a newspaper. The court can grant the divorce if it is satisfied with the efforts made to find the spouse.

Q: What issues can be addressed in a publication divorce?

In a publication divorce, the court will grant the divorce but will not address issues such as support, property division, maintenance, or allocating debts. It focuses solely on granting the divorce itself.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• There are two types of divorce when the spouse's address is unknown: personal service divorce and publication divorce.

• In a personal service divorce, a private investigator helps locate the missing spouse and personally serves them with divorce papers, granting the court jurisdiction over them.

• In a publication divorce, efforts to find the missing spouse must be made, such as using social media, reaching out to mutual acquaintances, or hiring a private investigator. If the spouse cannot be found, a notice is published in a newspaper and the court can grant the divorce.