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Legal Information: Maryland

Divorce

Updated: 
November 27, 2023

What are the residency requirements for divorce in Maryland?

You can file for divorce in Maryland if you or your spouse physically live in Maryland.1 The divorce papers would be filed in the circuit court in the county where you or your spouse live.2 If the reason for your divorce happened outside of Maryland, you can only file for a divorce in Maryland if you or your spouse has lived in Maryland for at least six months before you file.3 If the reason for the divorce happened inside of Maryland, then this six-month requirement doesn’t apply; you could be living in Maryland for less time and still file.4

1 MD Code, Courts & Jud. Proc. § 6–202(1)
2 See Maryland Courts website
3 MD Code, Fam. Law § 7-101
4 See The People’s Law Library of Maryland website

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