Here is the process without court jargon: make sure NH can handle the case, tell the court you both want the divorce, show each other the required money information, tell the judge exactly how everything should end, and wait for the judge's final order.
What that means without the legal-sounding words
The official paperwork uses names like 'petition,' 'affidavit,' and 'decree.' Those words sound more complicated than they are. A petition asks the court to open the case. An affidavit is information sworn to be true. A decree is the judge's final order. If you want a list of the actual forms that go with those stages, see the starting-form guide.
The goal on this page is to remove guessing and leave you with one clear next action. In the context of “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English,” that means you should stop and verify the specific fact discussed above before moving into the next divorce step.
Example: 'Financial Affidavit' sounds like a special financial instrument. It is really a sworn form where one spouse reports income, assets, debts, and related money information. The spouse fills out one about themselves; the other spouse fills out a separate one.
Do this in this order
- Step 1: Eligibility: make sure the court and case type fit.If you are uncertain about this part of “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English,” verify the fact before signing anything that says the information is true.
- Step 2: Starting papers: complete and file the correct petition plus Personal Data Sheet.On the “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” issue, this is the first fact I would put on paper before opening another form.
- Step 3: Money exchange: gather and provide required financial records.Keep this answer with your notes for “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” so the same information is used later.
- Step 4: Sworn financial form: each spouse completes a Financial Affidavit.For this part of “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English,” use the current official court wording rather than copying somebody else's old case.
- Step 5: Finishing papers: complete Vital Statistics and the proposed Final Decree.After this part of “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” is done, save a copy or record the date so you know you really completed it.
- Step 6: Court finish: follow the court's instructions until the decree is issued.If this fact changes while you are working through “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English,” update your case notes before creating the final paperwork.
Watch out for these mistakes
- Letting legal vocabulary scare you into skipping a form.
- Filling out forms you do not understand just to 'get them done.'
- Assuming the court will correct every missing answer for you.
- Using an old checklist without checking current court information.
How this connects to another part of the divorce
For a literal start-to-finish list, open the full divorce checklist. For definitions of the joint process, see the joint-divorce guide.
For this specific question—“The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English”—the thing to carry into the next screen or form is the fact you just confirmed. Write that fact down in ordinary words first. Then copy it carefully into the official paperwork only where the form actually asks for it. That keeps one misunderstood label from spreading into several later documents.
Check the official source for this topic: NH Judicial Branch Family Division ↗How to know when you can move on
You are finished with the issue covered by “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” when you have done two things: (1) you can confidently eligibility: make sure the court and case type fit, and (2) you know that the next checkpoint is to court finish: follow the court's instructions until the decree is issued. If either part is still fuzzy, keep this page open and verify that one point before signing, notarizing, paying, or filing anything.
Use this answer in your own case
If “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” is one of the questions slowing you down, the free case check can check whether the rest of your situation matches our simple joint no-minor-children workflow. It asks one plain question at a time and does not charge you during the screening.
Start my free case check →General-information note for this page: This page about “The New Hampshire Divorce Process, Explained in Plain English” is general New Hampshire legal information, not advice about what you personally should agree to. FreeDivorceNH.com is a self-help technology and document-assistance service, not a law firm. Because court forms, fees, filing locations, and procedures can change, use the official New Hampshire Judicial Branch link on this page to confirm any detail that could have changed.