Attorney Chi Nguyen Answers: Where should I file for divorce in Washington?

By LegalAtoms Updated July 4, 2026

Attorney Chi Nguyen

Transcript

English

The most common question that comes about is: where do I file my case. A lot of people reside in different counties, and different cities, and different states and sometimes different countries. A lot of people want to know if my spouse is living in a country that not where I am, can I still file. Washington state law just requires that one party be residing here in the state of Washington for the courts to have jurisdiction over that case. So even if your spouse is abroad, or different state, or different county, if you are the one residing here in state of Washington, or the county of King or Snohomish or Thurston. whichever county you reside in, you can certainly file in that county. The other factor if there are children reside primarily in that county, then that’s the appropriate venue for you to file your petition.

Español

La pregunta más común que surge es: ¿dónde presento mi caso? Muchas personas residen en diferentes condados, diferentes ciudades, diferentes estados y, a veces, diferentes países. Mucha gente quiere saber si mi cónyuge vive en un país que no está donde estoy, todavía puedo presentar mi solicitud. La ley del estado de Washington solo requiere que una parte resida aquí en el estado de Washington para que los tribunales tengan jurisdicción sobre ese caso. Entonces, incluso si su cónyuge está en el extranjero, o en un estado diferente, o un condado diferente, si usted es el que reside aquí en el estado de Washington, o el condado de King o Snohomish o Thurston. En cualquier condado en el que resida, puede presentar su solicitud en ese condado. El otro factor si hay niños que residen principalmente en ese condado, entonces ese es el lugar adecuado para que usted presente su petición.

Forms needed

These are the court forms typically required for this process. LegalAtoms prepares each of them for you automatically.

FL All Family 001 Confidential Information
VS Vital Statistics
FL Divorce 201 Petition for Divorce (Dissolution)
FL Divorce 132 Declaration about Public Assistance
FL All Family 112 Proof of Mailing or Hand Delivery (For documents after Summons and Petition)
FL Divorce 231 Findings and Conclusions about a Marriage
FL Divorce 241 Final Divorce Order (Dissolution Decree)

Attorney Chi Nguyen Answers: Where should I file for divorce in Washington?