If you are going to apply for divorce in Texas, you may feel confused when it comes to paperwork. The specifics of your divorce will affect the number of required documents. The presence of children in the case is an important factor that will impact the final set of forms.

At OnlineDivorceTexas, we believe that a marriage dissolution should not be an overly complex process. Below, there are several samples of free divorce papers in Texas available for downloading. They are provided in a PDF format, so you can easily open and edit them.   

Keep in mind that these are fillable templates of legal Texas divorce forms created for couples who want to manage paperwork on their own. Therefore, the documents are meant for personal purposes only, not for commercial use.

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Forms for Uncontested Divorce with No Children

The amount of Texas divorce paperwork when spouses have no minor children is usually smaller than in cases when kids are involved. The package of forms required for divorce without children includes:

  • Original Petition for Divorce. An official divorce process starts once a petitioner files this form with the local court. It includes personal information about spouses and the relief sought. 
  • Waiver of Service. By signing this document, a respondent waives the need for formal delivery of divorce papers. 
  • Affidavit of Indigency. It is a sworn statement made by a petitioner who claims to be financially incapable of covering court fees. 
  • Certificate of Last Known Mailing. The paper is filed with the court as proof that copies of divorce papers have been sent to the last known address of a respondent via certified mail.
  • Military Status Affidavit. The form is completed to clarify whether a petitioner or a respondent is an active service member and, thus, is protected by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) during a divorce process. 
  • Notice of Change of Address. It is a formal notification about any residency changes of either party involved in a divorce. It is filed to ensure all legal documents are sent to the correct address.

Forms for Couples with Children

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Deciding on kid-related matters during a divorce is mandatory. Divorcing parents with kids may have to participate in additional procedures and fill out more forms. It is done to ensure the best needs of their children are met when parents start living separately. The additional forms required for divorce with kids in Texas may include, among others:

  • Original Petition for Divorce (with children). Unlike the form for cases with no children involved, this one includes additional fields on child-related issues like personal data, child support arrangements, questions on visitation, etc.
  • Civil Case Information Sheet. It is a standard form with essential details about spouses and their kids.
  • Information on Suit Affecting the Family Relationship. Parents must file this document listing every child affected by their divorce and providing personal details for each kid. Such information regarding the family dynamics will be used by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Vital Statistics Unit.
  • Testimony for Divorce with Children. It is not a specific form but rather a description of a family situation and decisions related to kids for the post-divorce period. It includes parents’ arrangements for custody and visitation and any relevant information about the parenting abilities of each spouse.
  • Child Support Order. Typically, a non-custodial parent is obliged to pay child support. The amount of child support, frequency of payments, and other details are described in a Child Support Order. 

Forms for Finalizing Divorce

Once you’re done completing basic papers in accordance with the specifics of your case, you may also need to deal with some additional forms:

  • Affidavit of Service. It is a statement made by a person who delivers copies of documents to a respondent. The paper contains the date and time of service, personal details of a respondent, and method of delivery. 
  • Inventory and Appraisement forms. During marriage dissolution, it is necessary to list and evaluate real property, vehicles, bank accounts, investments, debts, and other assets owned by both spouses. Doing that is possible by filling out corresponding forms. 
  • Final Decree of Divorce. It is an official court order signed by the judge to terminate a marriage formally. All terms of a divorce settlement, as well as the rights and obligations of the parties, are defined in this paper. This document contains all terms of a divorce, as well as decisions on property and debt division, child custody and support, alimony, etc.

Download Printable PDF Forms

Or Get Complete Set of Texas Divorce Papers Online

These are just some forms you may need in a divorce process, and the list is not final. If you don’t want to deal with document preparation yourself and your case is uncontested, you can get online divorce papers in Texas by delegating the task to our team. We will complete the case-specific forms for you quickly, professionally, and for a moderate fee. What’s more, all our clients get detailed filing instructions as a bonus.    

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Common Mistakes People Make in Texas Divorce Papers

One of the most common mistakes made by divorcing couples is missing some of the forms when submitting documentation, which leads to missing deadlines and results in prolonging the divorce. So remember to check if you have a full set of forms prior to filing for divorce in Texas.

If you have completed all the paperwork on your own, you will be responsible for ensuring that you have every document applicable to your situation. There might be additional papers for cases when:

  • One of the spouses lives outside of TX.
  • There are minor children.
  • Either you or your spouse is asking for alimony.
  • There are retirement funds that need to be divided.
  • You cannot pay the court costs.

These are just some of the factors that might require you to submit more forms, which is why it is better to closely inspect all the documents for divorce in Texas before you dismiss any of them.