How to file for divorce in Ontario is one of the most-Googled legal questions in Canada, and most of the answers online are stale, sales-pitchy, or just plain wrong. This guide is different. It walks you through exactly what to file, what it really costs in 2026, what the courts actually do, and where you can safely save money by handling parts yourself.
By the end, you will know which of the three divorce paths fits your situation, how to fill out the right forms (with the real form numbers), what the Ontario Superior Court of Justice actually charges in filing fees, and when a lawyer is worth every dollar. If you decide you need legal help, Olanur is a free way to be matched with a verified Ontario family lawyer — no calls, no pressure.
Quick Answer — How to File for Divorce in Ontario in 2026 (5 Steps)
Here is the short version of how to file for divorce in Ontario in 2026. Each step is unpacked below.
Confirm you are eligible. You (or your spouse) must have lived in Ontario for at least one year before filing, and you must have a legal ground for divorce under the federal Divorce Act — almost always a 1-year separation.
Get your original marriage certificate. You will need it (or a certified copy) to file. If it is in a language other than English or French, you will need a certified translation.
Choose the right type of application — Simple (Form 8A), Joint (Form 8A filed together), or General (Form 8 if you are also asking for property, support, or parenting orders).
File the application at the Superior Court of Justice in your municipality, pay $224 at filing (a $214 Ontario application fee plus the $10 federal Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings fee), and serve your spouse (unless you are filing jointly).
Request the Divorce Order. Once timelines are met and there is no response (or you both agree), file your Form 36 affidavit, pay the $445 “set down” fee, and the court issues your Divorce Order. About 31 days later you can request your Certificate of Divorce.
That is the entire divorce process Ontario 2026 in five steps. Most people who fit a simple divorce Ontario profile can complete it without going to court in person — but the details matter, and small mistakes (wrong form, late service, missing affidavit) can add months to your file.
Who Can File for Divorce in Ontario? (Eligibility in 2026)
Before you spend a dollar, make sure you actually qualify to file in Ontario. The rules come from two places: the federal Divorce Act (which controls who can divorce) and Ontario’s Family Law Rules (which control how you do it).
Residency
To file in Ontario, you or your spouse must have been ordinarily resident in Ontario for at least one year immediately before the application is filed. “Ordinarily resident” means the place where you live the bulk of your life — not where you happen to be visiting or working short-term.
If you and your spouse live in different provinces, either province can hear the case as long as one of you meets the one-year rule there.
Grounds for divorce
Canada is a no-fault divorce country. Under section 8 of the Divorce Act, there is only one ground — “breakdown of marriage” — and it can be proven in three ways:
One-year separation. By far the most common. You and your spouse have lived “separate and apart” for at least one year. You can live under the same roof during that year if you have genuinely stopped functioning as a couple.
Adultery. Your spouse committed adultery, and you are not the spouse who did it.
Cruelty. Physical or mental cruelty that makes continued cohabitation intolerable.
Adultery and cruelty grounds are rarely used because they require evidence and your spouse will usually contest them. The one-year separation route is faster, cleaner, and standard for almost every uncontested divorce Ontario file.
Same-sex divorces
Same-sex divorces in Ontario are handled in exactly the same way as opposite-sex divorces under the same Divorce Act. The forms, fees, and timelines are identical.
If you were married in Canada but live abroad in a country that does not recognize same-sex marriage, there is also a separate federal pathway under the Civil Marriage Act — but for Ontario residents, the standard process applies.
What if you were not legally married?
If you lived together but never legally married, you do not need a divorce. You may, however, have rights and obligations as a common-law partner under Ontario’s Family Law Act — particularly around child support and, after three years of cohabitation, spousal support.
Property rules for common-law partners are very different from married spouses, which is one reason many couples in this situation benefit from a quick consult. Olanur can match you with a verified Ontario family lawyer for an unbundled consult if that is you. Not sure you even need one? Our short read on whether you actually need a lawyer walks through the test.
Uncontested vs. Contested Divorce in Ontario — Which One Are You?
Almost every question about cost, time, and whether you need a lawyer comes down to one fork in the road: are you and your spouse on the same page, or not?
What is an uncontested (simple) divorce?
An uncontested divorce Ontario — also called a “simple divorce Ontario” — is where one spouse applies for the divorce alone, but the other spouse does not fight it. You are only asking the court for one thing: the divorce itself.
You are not asking the court to decide property, support, or parenting at the same time. Those things either do not apply or have already been settled (often in a separation agreement signed with independent legal advice on both sides). This is the path most Ontarians take. If you are researching how to file for an uncontested divorce in Ontario, this is the route you are picturing.
What is a joint divorce?
A joint divorce is when you and your spouse file the application together as co-applicants. There is no “applicant” and “respondent” — you are both asking the court for the same thing on the same form.
Joint divorces tend to move slightly faster because there is no waiting period for the other spouse to respond. You do not even need to serve each other. Be aware: a single lawyer cannot represent both of you on contested issues like a separation agreement; for those you each need independent legal advice (ILA).
What is a contested divorce?
A contested divorce is exactly what it sounds like — one of you disagrees with something the other is asking for. The disagreement might be the divorce itself, but more often it is about property division, spousal support, child support, parenting time, or decision-making responsibility.
The moment a real dispute lands on the court’s desk, you are in a different system: case conferences, settlement conferences, possible motions, and (in a small minority of cases) a trial. Contested cases are where lawyer fees climb fast, and where DIY almost always backfires.
Quick comparison
Type
Who files
Typical timeline
Total cost (CAD)
Lawyer needed?
Simple / Uncontested
One spouse alone
4–8 months
$600 – $3,500
Optional
Joint
Both spouses together
4–6 months
$1,200 – $3,000
Optional
Contested
One spouse, other disputes
9 months – 3+ years
$7,500 – $25,000+
Yes
Cost ranges above reflect typical Ontario fees in 2026 and include the $669 in court filing fees (covered in detail below).
How to File for Divorce in Ontario — Step-by-Step (The Real Process)
Here is the real, end-to-end process a self-represented Ontarian (or one with a lawyer) follows to get from “I want a divorce” to “I have a Certificate of Divorce.” This is the section to bookmark.
Step 1 — Get your marriage certificate
You cannot file a divorce in Ontario without proof you were married. For marriages in Ontario, order an official marriage certificate through ServiceOntario. The standard certificate is sufficient — you do not need the more expensive “certified copy of the registration” unless the court specifically asks for it.
If you were married outside Canada, you need the original (or a certified copy from the issuing authority) plus, if it is not in English or French, a certified translation by a translator accredited with ATIO. Forgetting the translation is one of the most common reasons a divorce application gets sent back.
Step 2 — Decide on the type of application (Form 8 / 8A)
The form you start with depends on what you are asking the court to decide.
Form 8A — Simple Application (divorce only). Use this if you are only asking for the divorce. No property, no support, no parenting orders. This is the form behind most uncontested divorce Ontario filings and all joint divorces.
Form 8 — General Application. Use this if you are also asking for orders on property, support, parenting, or any combination. Most contested files start here.
If you and your spouse are filing together as co-applicants, you both sign the same Form 8A and tick the “joint application” box at the top. All Ontario family court forms are free to download from the Ontario Court Forms library maintained by the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Step 3 — Complete and file the application at the Superior Court of Justice
Divorces in Ontario are heard at the Superior Court of Justice (or, in some regions, the unified Family Court branch). You file at the courthouse for the municipality where you or your spouse live. Bring or submit:
Your completed Form 8A or Form 8, signed.
Your original marriage certificate.
Three copies of the application (court keeps one, you keep one, your spouse gets one).
The $224 filing payment — a $214 Ontario application fee (O. Reg. 293/92) plus the $10 federal Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings (CRDP) fee under SOR/86-547. Pay by cheque or money order to the Minister of Finance, or by credit card online.
Ontario allows electronic filing through the Family Submissions Online portal at justiceservices.jus.gov.on.ca/FamilyClaims/. Most simple and joint divorces can be filed entirely online in 2026.
Step 4 — Serve your spouse (if not a joint application)
If you filed alone (Form 8A simple application, or Form 8 general application), you must “serve” your spouse with the documents. Service is a strict process — you cannot just email them to your ex.
For a divorce, the rules require special service: the documents must be handed to your spouse personally by someone over 18 who is not you. Most people hire a professional process server ($75–$200) or ask a friend or family member to do it.
After service, the server fills out a Form 6B — Affidavit of Service confirming what was served, when, where, and to whom. That affidavit goes back into the court file. If you cannot locate your spouse, you can ask the court for “substituted service” — but you will need an order first, and most people in this spot are better off using a lawyer lookup for Ontario to find someone who handles this specific motion.
Step 5 — Wait for the response (or default)
Once served, your spouse has 30 days to file an Answer (Form 10) if they live in Canada or the United States, and 60 days if they live elsewhere. If they file nothing, your application proceeds undefended (sometimes called “by default”), which is exactly what you want in an uncontested simple divorce.
In a joint divorce there is no service step and no waiting period for a response — you simply move from filing to the next stage.
Step 6 — Request a divorce order (Form 36 affidavit)
Once the response window has closed (or right away in a joint application), you ask the court to grant the divorce. The key document here is Form 36 — Affidavit for Divorce. You attach the marriage certificate, the affidavit of service, and a draft Divorce Order (Form 25A) the judge will sign.
This stage triggers the second court fee — the $445 “setting down” or “request for divorce order” fee. A judge reviews the file in chambers (no court appearance needed in a simple or joint divorce) and, if everything is in order, signs the Divorce Order.
Step 7 — Receive your Divorce Order and Certificate of Divorce
Under Canadian law, your divorce becomes final on the 31st day after the Divorce Order is granted. After day 31, you can request a Certificate of Divorce — the single page most people will need to remarry, change their name on government documents, or update their immigration status.
Plan for the certificate to arrive a few weeks after you request it. Keep at least two original copies somewhere safe.
A quick note on fees: the total $669 in court fees breaks down as $214 (Ontario application fee under O. Reg. 293/92) + $10 (federal CRDP fee under SOR/86-547) + $445 (placing the application on the list for hearing). The full schedule is published on the Ontario family court fees page — confirm the current numbers there before you file, as fees do change.
Cost of Divorce in Ontario in 2026 — What You Will Actually Pay
The cost of divorce in Ontario is the question everyone Googles second (right after “is it final yet?”). The honest answer: it ranges from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, depending almost entirely on whether you and your spouse can agree.
Chart 1: Cost of divorce in Ontario (2026) by type. Source: Olanur 2026 + Ontario Court Services Fee Schedule.
Government filing fees (exact dollar amounts)
Three court fees together cover a divorce file:
$214 — Ontario application fee, paid when you issue your application (O. Reg. 293/92, item 1).
$10 — Federal Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings fee, paid alongside the application (SOR/86-547).
$445 — Placing the application on the list for hearing, paid when you request the divorce order (O. Reg. 293/92, item 4).
Total: $669 in court fees per file.
These fees apply whether you are DIY or working with a lawyer. If you genuinely cannot afford them, the court can waive them through a Fee Waiver Request (Form 1 under O. Reg. 2/05) — you will need to file a financial affidavit.
Uncontested divorce cost range
For an uncontested or simple divorce Ontario filing, the realistic 2026 ranges are:
DIY (no lawyer): $600 – $1,800 total. That is the $669 court fees plus the marriage certificate ($22–$45), a process server ($75–$200), and miscellaneous courier and notary costs.
With a lawyer: $1,500 – $3,500 total. Many Ontario family lawyers offer flat-fee uncontested divorces in this band, which includes their work plus disbursements.
The average cost of divorce in Ontario for uncontested files lands around $1,500 when you factor in both DIY and lawyer-assisted approaches.
Contested divorce cost range
A contested divorce in Ontario will almost always require a lawyer, and the costs reflect the work involved:
Settled before trial: $7,500 – $15,000 per side.
Goes to trial: $20,000 – $50,000+ per side, and occasionally more if there are complex assets, business valuations, or experts.
These numbers track with public commentary from the Department of Justice Canada on family litigation costs and are consistent with what most Ontario family lawyers will quote you at an initial consultation.
Hidden costs people forget
Process server fees ($75–$200) for serving your spouse.
Certified marriage certificate ($22–$45 from ServiceOntario).
Certified translation of foreign marriage certificates ($75–$300).
Courier and filing-service fees if you file by mail or use a paralegal service ($30–$150).
Mandatory Information Program (MIP) attendance — free in Ontario, but it costs time.
Mediation (optional but often required before motions): $150–$400/hour, split between the parties.
Parenting course (“For the Sake of the Children” / “Families in Transition”) — free or low-cost in Ontario.
Certified copies of the Divorce Order or Certificate of Divorce ($24 each).
Independent Legal Advice (ILA) on a separation agreement — typically $300–$1,000 per party.
Cost comparison at a glance
Cost item
DIY uncontested
Lawyer uncontested
Joint divorce
Contested
Court fees
$669
$669
$669
$669
Marriage certificate
$22–$45
$22–$45
$22–$45
$22–$45
Process server
$75–$200
$75–$200
$0
$75–$200
Lawyer fees
$0
$800–$2,800
$500–$2,300 (shared)
$7,000–$25,000+
Miscellaneous
$50–$150
$50–$150
$50–$150
$200–$1,000
Realistic total
$600 – $1,800
$1,500 – $3,500
$1,200 – $3,000
$7,500 – $25,000+
If you want a deeper look at Toronto-specific pricing, our family lawyer in Toronto cost guide for 2026 breaks down hourly rates by experience level.
How to File for Divorce in Ontario Without a Lawyer (DIY Divorce)
Plenty of Ontarians successfully file their own divorces. The question is not whether DIY is possible — it is whether it is appropriate for your situation. Here is how to tell.
Chart 2: Typical Ontario divorce timeline by type, 2026. Source: Ontario Superior Court of Justice processing estimates and Olanur 2026.
When DIY is realistic
You are a strong candidate to file on your own if all of these are true:
You are filing for an uncontested or joint divorce (divorce only — nothing else asked of the court).
You have no children, or you and your spouse have a written, signed parenting plan that you both intend to follow.
You have no significant property dispute — either you have split everything informally or you have signed a separation agreement with independent legal advice on both sides.
You have no spousal support claim that is unresolved.
Both of you are safe and able to deal with each other or, at minimum, sign and serve documents without fear.
If this is you, how to file for divorce in Ontario without a lawyer is genuinely doable in a weekend of careful paperwork.
When DIY is risky
Do not go it alone if any of these apply:
You and your spouse disagree on any parenting issue, even small ones.
There are pensions, RRSPs, a business, or a matrimonial home with meaningful value.
One of you is asking for spousal support or wants to waive it.
One of you has immigration status tied to the marriage.
There is any history of domestic violence, coercion, or fear.
Your spouse will not respond to messages or you cannot locate them.
In any of these cases, the cost of a lawyer is far less than the cost of an order you did not realize you needed.
Where to find the free forms
Ontario does not charge for the forms themselves. Three places to know:
Family Law Information Centres (FLICs) — free in-person help at courthouses, including a Family Court Support Worker who can walk you through which form goes where.
Family Submissions Online portal — the Ontario government’s online filing system. You can file a divorce, upload supporting documents, and pay fees by credit card in one sitting.
If you want a second pair of eyes on a DIY filing without paying for full representation, many Ontario family lawyers offer unbundled services — they will review your forms or coach you on the next step for a flat fee. Olanur can match you with a verified Ontario family lawyer for exactly this kind of one-off help.
When You Actually Need a Divorce Lawyer in Ontario
A divorce lawyer Ontario is not required by law. They are required by good sense in specific situations. We have a separate breakdown of the seven situations where families really do need a lawyer — the short version is below.
Property over a meaningful value, a pension, or a business. Ontario’s equalization scheme under the Family Law Act is unforgiving once finalized. If you give up your entitlement to a spouse’s pension by signing the wrong paragraph in a separation agreement, you usually cannot get it back. Anything with a complex valuation — a business interest, an incorporated professional practice, restricted stock units, a defined-benefit pension — needs a lawyer.
Children plus disagreement. If you and your spouse do not agree on parenting time or decision-making responsibility (the post-2021 terminology that replaced “custody” and “access”), you need a lawyer. The court applies the best interests of the child test from section 16 of the Divorce Act, and how your file is presented matters.
Spousal support disputes. Spousal support depends on the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) and a careful look at incomes, length of marriage, and roles during the marriage. The difference between a fair number and an unfair one can be tens of thousands of dollars over time.
Safety concerns or domestic violence. Restraining orders, exclusive possession of the matrimonial home, supervised parenting time — these are emergencies. A lawyer can move the court quickly; if you need help today, see our guide on how to find a lawyer urgently in Canada. Duty counsel through Legal Aid Ontario can also assist if you qualify financially.
Your spouse will not respond or cannot be located. You may need a substituted service order, a divorce by default, or — if they live in another country that did not sign The Hague Service Convention — a more complicated route entirely.
Choosing the right level of help. Family lawyers in Ontario typically offer three tiers:
One-time consult ($150–$500) — get answers to specific questions and a sanity check on your plan.
Unbundled services ($300–$2,000 per task) — they handle one piece (draft a separation agreement, review a settlement offer, attend one conference) and you handle the rest.
Full representation ($3,000–$25,000+) — they run the file from start to finish.
For most Ontarians, an hour-long consult before you file is the single highest-leverage spend in the entire process. Our guide on how to vet a trustworthy lawyer covers what to ask in that first meeting.
How Long Does a Divorce Take in Ontario?
The honest timeline ranges, drawn from Ontario Superior Court of Justice processing norms in 2026:
Joint divorce: 4–6 months. Both spouses file together; no service step, no waiting period for a response. The bottleneck is court processing time.
Uncontested (simple) divorce: 4–8 months. The 30-day response window adds time, and so does the back-and-forth of getting service done correctly. After the divorce order is granted, your divorce is final on day 31.
Contested divorce that settles: 9–18 months. Mandatory case conference, settlement conference, exchange of financial disclosure, and one or more rounds of negotiation.
Contested divorce that goes to trial: 18 months – 3 years (sometimes more). Trials in the family court are scheduled months out, and a single adjournment can push you another six.
Courts in larger municipalities (Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Hamilton) sometimes run slower than smaller ones because of caseload. Filing online through the Family Submissions Online portal generally moves your file faster than mailed paper filings.
How Common Is Divorce in Canada Right Now?
If it helps to see the bigger picture: divorces in Canada have been trending downward for years. The chart below pulls from Statistics Canada Table 39-10-0051-01, which is the most recent official vital statistics release on divorces.
Chart 3: Number of divorces granted in Canada by year. Source: Statistics Canada Table 39-10-0051-01 (vector v1331258926).
The sharp drop in 2020 — from 56,937 divorces in 2019 to 42,933 in 2020 — is the largest single-year decrease since the original Divorce Act came into force in 1968, driven primarily by pandemic-era court closures rather than a real shift in marriage stability.
What About the Kids? Parenting, Custody & Child Support
Anything involving children gets reviewed more carefully by the court, even in an otherwise uncontested file.
In 2021, the Divorce Act was amended to replace the words “custody” and “access” with decision-making responsibility (who makes major decisions about education, health, and religion) and parenting time (the schedule of who has the child when). The change matters because the new terms reduce the win-lose framing that used to make parenting disputes uglier than they needed to be.
Child support is governed by the Federal Child Support Guidelines. The amount is not negotiable downward in most cases — it is set by the payor’s income and the number of children using a published table. You can look up your number with the federal government’s free Child Support Table Look-up tool.
In Ontario, both parents in a divorce involving children must complete the Mandatory Information Program (MIP) before any motion is brought. The MIP is a free 2-hour session run by the courts that covers the legal process, the emotional impact on children, and resources for separating parents. You will receive a Certificate of Attendance — keep it, the court will ask.
For deeper background on parenting law across the country, browse our family law in Canada resources — they cover how the federal and provincial pieces fit together.
Common Mistakes People Make When Filing for Divorce in Ontario
We see the same errors over and over. Most of them are cheap to avoid and expensive to fix.
Using the wrong form. Form 8A is divorce-only. Form 8 is the general application for everything else. People who throw in a property or support claim on a Form 8A get the application kicked back.
Filing without an original or certified marriage certificate. A wedding photo and a vow card are not evidence of marriage. Order the certificate before you file.
Skipping the translation of a foreign marriage certificate. If you were married abroad and the certificate is not in English or French, you need a certified ATIO translation. This is the single most common reason an otherwise clean simple divorce gets rejected.
Serving your spouse incorrectly. Email, text, or leaving documents at their door are not valid service for a divorce application. Use a process server or someone over 18 who is not you, and file the Form 6B Affidavit of Service immediately after.
Missing the 30-day response deadline calculation. The clock starts the day after service, not the day of. Filing your Form 36 affidavit before day 31 will get you bounced back and cost you weeks.
Signing a separation agreement without independent legal advice (ILA). Ontario courts can — and do — set aside separation agreements where one party did not have ILA. A $500 ILA review now is worth more than a $50,000 motion to set aside the agreement later.
Forgetting the Mandatory Information Program (MIP) when there are children. The court will not move your file past the first conference until both of you have your MIP certificates.
Treating “we agreed” as the same as “we have an enforceable order.” A verbal agreement about who gets the car is not enforceable. Until it is in a separation agreement or a court order, it can be changed.
How Olanur Helps You Find an Ontario Divorce Lawyer in Minutes
Olanur is a Canadian, AI-powered platform that matches you with a verified Ontario family lawyer based on your specific situation — not a paid directory and not a list of strangers. You answer a few short questions about your case (uncontested, contested, children, property, urgency), and we surface lawyers who actually handle your kind of file, with their fees, response times, and reviews shown upfront.
Every lawyer on Olanur is verified through the Law Society of Ontario before they appear in results, and using the service is free for you. Curious about the mechanics? See how Olanur works under the hood. Try Olanur free — describe your situation and get matched with a verified Ontario family lawyer in minutes. If you would rather start with a broader search, our walkthrough on how to find a lawyer in Canada is a good companion read.
FAQs — Filing for Divorce in Ontario (2026)
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Ontario?
Court fees total $669: $214 for the Ontario application fee (O. Reg. 293/92), $10 for the federal Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings fee (SOR/86-547), and $445 when you request the divorce order. Add $22–$45 for a marriage certificate, $75–$200 for a process server, and any lawyer fees. A realistic DIY uncontested divorce in 2026 lands between $600 and $1,800. A lawyer-assisted uncontested file runs $1,500 to $3,500. Contested divorces typically cost $7,500 to $25,000 or more per side.
Can I file for divorce in Ontario without a lawyer?
Yes. Ontario allows self-represented parties at every stage, including divorce. You can file all the forms yourself, pay the fees directly, and even file online through the Family Submissions Online portal. DIY is realistic for uncontested or joint divorces where you have already settled everything else (or there is nothing else to settle). It is much riskier if you have property, pensions, support, or parenting disagreements. A one-hour paid consult before you file is often the single best decision you can make.
How long does an uncontested divorce take in Ontario?
A typical uncontested divorce Ontario filing takes 4 to 8 months from start to finish in 2026. The biggest variables are the 30-day response window after you serve your spouse, court processing time at your local Superior Court of Justice location, and how quickly you submit your Form 36 affidavit once the response window closes. A joint divorce — where both spouses file together — is usually a touch faster at 4 to 6 months because there is no service step. After the judge grants the Divorce Order, you are officially divorced on day 31.
Do both spouses have to agree to a divorce in Ontario?
No. Canada is a no-fault divorce country and only one spouse needs to want the divorce. If you have been separated for at least one year, you can apply alone and the court will grant the divorce even if your spouse objects to it — they cannot force you to stay married. What they can contest is the surrounding issues: property division, support, and parenting. If your spouse files an Answer disputing those issues, you move from an uncontested track to a contested one, but the divorce itself will still go through.
Do I need to be separated for a year before filing for divorce in Ontario?
You do not have to wait a year to file — but you do typically have to wait a year before the court will grant the divorce. The most common ground for divorce is 1-year separation, and you can start the paperwork any time during that year. The clock keeps ticking while your file moves through the court. Filing earlier shortens the total elapsed time. The two other grounds (adultery and cruelty) do not require a year of separation, but they are rarely used because they require evidence and can be contested.
What forms do I need to file for divorce in Ontario?
The core forms for a simple or joint divorce are: Form 8A (Simple Application), Form 6B (Affidavit of Service, if you serve your spouse), and Form 36 (Affidavit for Divorce, used at the divorce-order stage), plus a draft Form 25A (Divorce Order) for the judge to sign. If you are also asking for property, support, or parenting orders, you use Form 8 (General Application) instead of Form 8A, and you will add a Financial Statement (Form 13 or 13.1). All forms are free at ontariocourtforms.on.ca.
Can I file for divorce online in Ontario?
Yes — most simple and joint divorces can be filed electronically in 2026 through the Family Submissions Online portal at justiceservices.jus.gov.on.ca/FamilyClaims/. You upload your completed application, your marriage certificate, and any supporting affidavits, and pay the $224 filing payment ($214 Ontario fee + $10 federal CRDP fee) by credit card. Once your application is issued, you can later submit your Form 36 affidavit through the same portal and pay the $445 divorce-order fee. Online filing tends to move faster than mailed paper filings.
What is the difference between a simple divorce and a joint divorce in Ontario?
A simple divorce is filed by one spouse alone; the other spouse is the respondent and must be served. A joint divorce is filed by both spouses together as co-applicants — there is no respondent and no service step. The forms (Form 8A) are the same, with a box at the top to indicate “joint.” Joint divorces are slightly faster and cheaper because you skip service and often share one lawyer. Choose joint when you agree on everything; choose simple if your spouse is not going to actively cooperate with the paperwork.
Final Word — Your Next Step
Filing for divorce in Ontario is a process, not an event. Take it step by step, gather your documents, choose the right form, and decide honestly whether you have the kind of file that is safe to handle yourself or the kind that needs a professional in your corner. Whichever path you choose, you are allowed to move at your own pace — there is no penalty for taking a week to think.
If you would like a second opinion before you file, Olanur can match you with a verified Ontario family lawyer for a free, no-pressure conversation. One short call is often enough to know whether you can DIY or whether spending a few hundred dollars now will save you thousands later.
Disclaimer: This article is general information about how to file for divorce in Ontario in 2026, not legal advice. Court fees and procedures can change — verify the current Ontario Court Services Fee Schedule and consult the relevant statutes before filing. For your specific situation, speak with a licensed Ontario family lawyer.
