FL-700-INFO - Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal Separation (Family Law)

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Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal Separation (Family Law)

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Form ID: FL-700-INFO
Title: Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal Separation (Family Law)
Effective Date: 2026-01-01
Mandatory Form: no
Languages: 汉语, 한국어, español, Tiếng Việt
Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/FL-700-INFO
Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl700info.pdf
Alternate Download URLs: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl700infoc.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl700infok.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl700infos.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl700infov.pdf
Form Detail Page:
Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal Separation (Family Law)
(FL-700-INFO)
Explains the steps to begin and complete a case by joint petition for divorce, dissolution of domestic partnership, or legal separation. It includes links to online resources to help understand each step in the process.
Get form FL-700-INFO
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(Chinese Simplified)
한국어
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(Korean)
español
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(Spanish)
Tiếng Việt
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Effective: January 1, 2026
PDF Text:
Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov
New January 1, 2026, Optional Form  
Fam. Code, §§ 2330, 2342.5
Information Sheet for Joint Petition for 
Dissolution or Legal Separation 
(Family Law)
FL-700-INFO, Page 1 of 4
FL-700-INFO Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal 
Separation 
Use this form to learn more about the process of getting a judgment of divorce, 
dissolution of domestic partnership, or legal separation through a joint petition with your 
spouse or domestic partner. This form also has instructions for revoking a joint petition 
for dissolution or legal separation that you already filed. If you would like information on 
how to get a judgment of divorce, dissolution of domestic partnership, or legal 
separation without filing jointly, see form FL-107-INFO.
1 Start Your Case
Step 1: Fill out these forms:
Joint Petition—Marriage or Domestic Partnership
(form ); and
Summons—Joint Petition  (form );
And if you and your spouse or domestic partner have  
children together:
Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction
and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) (form ).
On form FL-700, one party will be listed as Petitioner 1 
and the other will be listed as Petitioner 2. For any forms 
that you must file in your case that say “Petitioner” and 
“Respondent,” Petitioner 1 should identify themselves as 
“Petitioner” and Petitioner 2 should identify themselves as 
“Respondent.”
Step 2: File your court papers. Filing is when you turn in 
your completed papers to the court. To file your papers, 
you can call the court clerk to find out which courthouse to 
go to. If you want to file online (e-file), check your local 
court's website for more information. To find your local
court or their website go to: .
Both you and your spouse or domestic partner must also  
pay your court fees. For information about fee waivers, see
.
2 Disclose Financial Information
Within 60 days of filing the Joint Petition, you and your 
spouse or domestic partner must fill out and serve your 
financial disclosures.
Step 1: Fill out these forms:
Declaration of Disclosure (form ); and
Income and Expense Declaration (form )
(you should also file this form with the court); and
Schedule of Assets and Debts (form ) or
Property Declaration (form ).
Step 2: Serve your financial documents.
Have someone 18 years or older (not you) mail a copy of 
the completed forms in Step 1, along with all tax returns 
you filed in the last two years, to your spouse or domestic 
partner, or to their lawyer if they have one in this case. 
Only file form FL-150 with the court. Do not file the other 
documents listed in Step 1 with the court.
Step 3: Inform the court that you served your financial 
disclosures.
You and your spouse or domestic partner must each file a 
completed Declaration Regarding Service of Declaration 
of Disclosure and Income and Expense Declaration (form
) with the court saying the financial disclosures 
were served.

New January 1, 2026 Information Sheet for Joint Petition for 
Dissolution or Legal Separation 
(Family Law)
FL-700-INFO, Page 2 of 4
FL-700-INFO Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal 
Separation 
3 Come to an Agreement
You and your spouse or domestic partner need to come to 
an agreement about all of the issues in your case (you may 
skip to Step 4 if you already came to an agreement before 
you began this process). If you need help coming to an 
agreement, the following private services are available:
Lawyers. Also called attorneys, lawyers can help work out 
agreements between the parties and represent you at court 
hearings and trials if necessary.
Collaborative Lawyers. Lawyers who represent each 
party but do not go to court. They try to reach an 
agreement. If court is necessary, the parties must hire new 
lawyers.
Mediators. A lawyer or licensed counselor who helps the 
parties communicate to explore options and reach a 
mutually acceptable resolution.
Find more information at
.
4 Finalize Your Case
To finalize your case, you must put your agreement in the 
proper form for the court to accept it and turn in your 
judgment paperwork to the court. You must fill out and 
turn in at least the following documents:
Appearance, Stipulations, and Waivers (form
) signed by both of you;
Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution
or Legal Separation (form ) signed by either
you or your spouse or domestic partner; and
Stipulation and Waiver of Final Declaration of
Disclosure (form ) signed by both you and your 
spouse or domestic partner. If you do not want to waive 
your final declaration of disclosure, you and your 
spouse or domestic partner must repeat the steps in   2  .
A proposed Judgment (form ) with signed, 
written agreements attached; and
A proposed Notice of Entry of Judgment (form )
with your updated contact information and your spouse 
or domestic partner's updated contact information.
If you and your spouse or domestic partner have children 
together or agreements about support, you may need to fill 
out and turn in additional documents. For a complete list of 
the forms that you will need, see
.
5 What if You Change Your Mind and 
Cannot Agree?
You can change your mind and revoke the joint 
petition before the court enters a judgment in 
your case. You may do this without the approval 
of the judge or the other party.
Revoking the joint petition will not dismiss 
(close) your case or revoke your general 
appearance. It will move your case to a different 
process and allow you to ask the judge to make 
orders without the other party's agreement.
a. Step 1: Fill out and sign both:
Petition—Marriage/Domestic Partnership  (form
) (if you are Petitioner 1) or Response—
Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) (if
you are Petitioner 2). Check the box for 
“Amended” in the caption; and
Notice of Revocation of Joint Petition (form
).

New January 1, 2026 Information Sheet for Joint Petition for 
Dissolution or Legal Separation 
(Family Law)
FL-700-INFO, Page 3 of 4
FL-700-INFO Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal 
Separation 
b. Step 2: File the forms in Step 1 with the court. File 
them in the same case (use the same case number) as 
the joint petition.
If the amended Petition— Marriage/Domestic
Partnership (form ) or amended Response—
Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) is
filed in a different case (with a different case 
number), it will not revoke Joint Petition—Marriage
or Domestic Partnership (form ).
c. Step 3: Have someone 18 or older who is not a party 
to the case serve the other party with the forms you 
filed in Step 2. You can serve these documents by 
having someone 18 or older (not you) mail a copy of 
your documents to your spouse or domestic 
partner, or their lawyer if they have one. There are 
also other ways to serve your spouse or domestic 
partner.
More information on how to serve legal documents is 
available at
.
d. Step 4: Once you file the amended Petition—
Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) or
amended Response—Marriage/Domestic Partnership
(form ) in your case, the joint petition will be
revoked. Petitioner 1 will become the petitioner in 
your case, and Petitioner 2 will become the 
respondent in your case.
The case will move forward like a case in which 
parties do not agree on one or more issues (see 
Family Code section 2330(b)). The court will not 
issue a new summons. All the standard temporary 
restraining orders listed on Summons—Joint Petition
(form ) will still apply until the court enters a
final judgment or dismisses your case.
If the other party files to revoke the joint petition
Once the other party has you legally served with the 
amended Petition—Marriage/Domestic Partnership  (form
) or amended Response—Marriage/Domestic
Partnership (form ), you must file the proper court
form within 30 days.
File an amended Petition—Marriage/Domestic Partnership
(form ) (if you are Petitioner 1) or a Response—
Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) (if you are
Petitioner 2).
Important Questions
When will I be divorced?
The earliest you can be divorced is six months and one day 
from the date you filed the Joint Petition—Marriage or
Domestic Partnership (form ). Legal separation has
no waiting period. You are not divorced or legally 
separated until the court enters a judgment in your case.
What if I need a court order before my case is 
finalized?
If a judgment has not been filed in your case and you need 
court orders for child support, custody, parenting time 
(visitation), spousal or partner support, discovery, or other 
issues, you or your spouse or domestic partner must first 
revoke the joint petition.
Then, file a Request for Order (form ) asking for
orders. Go to the court's website at
for more
information.
What if my contact information changes?
You must notify the court and other party if you change 
your mailing address or other contact information.
To do so, file and serve a Notice of Change of Address or
Other Contact Information (form ) on the other
party or their attorney to let them know about the change in 
your contact information.

New January 1, 2026 Information Sheet for Joint Petition for 
Dissolution or Legal Separation 
(Family Law)
FL-700-INFO, Page 4 of 4
FL-700-INFO Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal 
Separation 
What if I receive or the other parent receives public 
assistance (CalWORKs)?
If you or the other parent are receiving public assistance 
(CalWORKs), all child support should be made payable to 
the local child support agency. A representative of the local 
child support agency must also sign your proposed
Judgment (form ) before you submit it to the court.
For more information, contact your local child support 
agency using the contact information on the California 
Department of Child Support Services website at 
.
What if there is domestic violence?
Domestic violence can be physical abuse, but it does not 
have to be. Abuse can also be verbal, mental, or emotional. 
If there has been domestic violence or a protective or 
restraining order, this joint petition process may not be 
right for you. Instead, you can use a different process for 
divorce, dissolution of domestic partnership, or legal 
separation.
More information about that process can be found on Legal 
Steps for a Divorce or Legal Separation (form
).
Whether or not you file for divorce, dissolution of domestic 
partnership, or legal separation, you may ask the court for 
protection by filing for a restraining order. More 
information about domestic violence restraining orders can 
be found:
On form (Can a Domestic Violence
Restraining Order Help Me?);
On form (How to Ask for a Domestic
Violence Restraining Order); and
At .
For domestic violence help, call the National Domestic 
Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233; or 211 (if available in 
your area).
Where can I get help?
This information sheet gives you only basic information 
about the joint petition process and is not legal advice. If 
you want legal advice, ask a lawyer for help. You may 
also:
Contact the family law facilitator or self-help center in 
your court for information, court forms, and referrals to 
local legal resources. For more information, see
.
Find information on the Self-Help Guide to the
California Courts: .
Find a lawyer through a certified lawyer referral service 
on the State Bar of California's website
( ) or by calling 866-442-2529 (toll-
free).
Find free and low-cost legal help (if you qualify) at
.
Find information at your local law library or public 
library.

Retrieval chunks

• #1

  Form ID: FL-700-INFO Title: Information Sheet for Joint Petition for Dissolution or Legal Separation (Family Law) Effective Date: 2026-01-01 Mandatory Form: no Languages: 汉语, 한국어, español, Tiếng Việt Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/FL-700-INFO Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/do…

• #2

  that you must file in your case that say “Petitioner” and “Respondent,” Petitioner 1 should identify themselves as “Petitioner” and Petitioner 2 should identify themselves as “Respondent.” Step 2: File your court papers. Filing is when you turn in your completed papers to the court. To file your papers, you can …

• #3

  party but do not go to court. They try to reach an agreement. If court is necessary, the parties must hire new lawyers. Mediators. A lawyer or licensed counselor who helps the parties communicate to explore options and reach a mutually acceptable resolution. Find more information at . 4 Finalize Your Case To …

• #4

  them in the same case (use the same case number) as the joint petition. If the amended Petition— Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) or amended Response— Marriage/Domestic Partnership (form ) is filed in a different case (with a different case number), it will not revoke Joint Petition—Marriage or Domestic Pa…

• #5

  issues, you or your spouse or domestic partner must first revoke the joint petition. Then, file a Request for Order (form ) asking for orders. Go to the court's website at for more information. What if my contact information changes? You must notify the court and other party if you change your mailing address …

• #6

  you want legal advice, ask a lawyer for help. You may also: Contact the family law facilitator or self-help center in your court for information, court forms, and referrals to local legal resources. For more information, see . Find information on the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts: . Find a lawyer th…