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Legal Information: Virginia

Divorce

Updated: 
December 19, 2023

What types of divorce are there in Virginia?

Virginia has two kinds of divorce:

  • divorce from bed and board; and
  • divorce from the bond of matrimony.

A divorce from bed and board is a partial divorce. The judge can decide maintenance, property distribution, custody, and other issued typically handled in a divorce but a divorce from bed and board does not end the marriage. You cannot get remarried after a divorce from bed and board.1

You can only get a divorce from bed and board if you claim that your spouse has:

  • been cruel to you;
  • caused you to reasonably fear bodily harm;
  • willfully deserted you; or
  • abandoned you.1

A divorce from the bond of matrimony is a complete divorce that ends the marriage and allows both you and your spouse to remarry.2

Note: The rest of WomensLaw.org’s information about divorce in Virginia is about divorce from the bond of matrimony. If you are interested in getting a divorce from bed and board, you may want to go to our Finding a Lawyer page to speak to a lawyer in Virginia.

1 VA ST § 20-95; 20-116; “Divorce in Virginia,” Virginia State Bar
2 “Divorce in Virginia,” Virginia State Bar

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