If you would like to request your certificate by mail, the New York State Department of Health website provides an application which you can download. Fill out the application and attach a copy of your identification and the required fee which may be paid by money order or by cheque then send it to the address on the form. Mail request may take up to three months to process but you can pay an additional fee for priority handling which will reduce waiting time down to one month. The fastest option for obtaining a divorce certificate in New York is by phone or order online. You will find a phone number and a link on the New York State Department of Health website. Use the number to call the department and receive guidelines on what to provide the department with so as to get your certificate. You may pay for the department’s fee with your credit card. The processing time may take about 5 to 10 days and you might pay an additional fee to have the certificate delivered to you overnight. Final judgment divorce is the final order by the law declaring that a marriage is no longer existing. Even with the divorce process, the spouses remain married until their divorce judgment is signed by a judge and entered into records of the court by the court clerk. Divorce judgment is considered final when it disposes all issues outstanding, inclusive of the most sensitive ones. Before the divorce judgment gets final, the court settles a number of factors that may cause conflict at a future date. Such factors include distribution of the marital property, child support and alimony, and division of debts if any. The final judgement divorce is presented in writing. It’s signed by both the plaintiff and the defendant (as the law refers them) and the witnesses. It also dictates the orders outlined by the court including the effective date. However, in many jurisdictions, the welfare of children is highly considered. Final judgment divorce has various advantages. Such benefits include:

• It allows any spouse willing to remarry to do so and do it legally
• Spouses get a legal order declaring them divorced
• The rights and responsibilities of each spouse gets clearly and legally identified
• It gives  the right to appeal if need be
• It allows division of property acquired during marriage

Once the final judgment is reached, either or both partners can appeal the judge’s decision to a higher court. However, it is unusual for the court of appeal to overturn a jury’s or judge’s decision in a divorce case. While you may expect for an amicable divorce process and agreement on all issues, unfortunately spouses usually have to litigate their divorce case to a final judgment in a court of law. Whether your case is resolved formally or informally, you are going to require a knowledgeable lawyer to make your case and stand for your interests. A judgement divorce decree, also referred to as a divorce decree is a signed court order. The court order declares that your marriage or domestic relationship is dissolved. It also includes other terms of your divorce, concerning the matters either you or your partner raised during divorce proceedings. Contents of a Divorce Decree The divorce decree contains similar information the divorce certificate contains and a summary of information from a divorce judgment. The document is signed by a presiding  judge. Divorce Decrees state the court case number and the fundamental facts of the divorce.  For instance, if one partner was given spousal support, the judgement divorce decree will state which partner pays and the amount. All divorce terms, like property division and child custody are outlined in the divorce decree. It also includes other issues decided by the judge or spouses agreed on. Only one of the partners included or their lawyer may request a decree copy in many cases. A divorced individual may require the decree to check the terms of divorce or to file an action in the court of law which relates to the decree, like a petition for changing the original amount of  spousal support. If you and your partner can agree on your divorce-related terms, your option, if possible, is to try to resolve your case instead of requesting a judge to do so. You or your lawyers can draft your terms in a Marital Settlement Agreement, also known as Separation Agreement. This can save you both money and time in legal fees. You will have a lot of time to review your document to ensure it is accurate and complete. When the time comes to go to court to finalise your divorce, the judge will just incorporate the divorce agreement, meaning that the document becomes part of your judgement divorce decree. In such a case, there will be no any need for trial on any of the matters contained in the divorce agreement. If you want to protect your interests from the start of your divorce process to this critical document, consider looking for a local divorce lawyer for advice. Divorce judgment terms are binding to both parties unless ignored. A spouse can ignore a divorce judgment if the agreement was not made in writing meaning that there are no legal grounds to confirm their legality or existence. That’s why agreements should be written (formal), recorded in the court records and signed by the witnesses. Consequences of Ignoring divorce judgment If you ignore the divorce judgement papers and consequently fail to appear in court during the ruling, the court will rule in favor of the other spouse, even if the terms are beyond what you can afford. Ignoring divorce judgement may result to various consequences such as penalties, as well as, incurring extra costs. If you disregard a divorce court order, it is not likely that you will be arrested, with one exception; you can only be arrested if you significantly fall behind in child support and the court order allows a warrant for arrest if you fall much far behind. However, this generally happens only when you build up a history of refusal to pay for child support. Most likely, your ex-spouse will go to court and report that you have not done what the judge ordered you to do. In most states, this is known as an “enforcement motion.” Your ex-spouse can ask the court to force you to follow the part of the order you ignored. You will receive a notice of motion and the date to appear in the court. What should I do Instead of Ignoring divorce judgment? Any order, decree, or judgment issued by a judge is legally binding. The law requires you to do what the order demands you to do. However, this doesn’t mean that you are stuck with it forever. Almost all court orders can be modified if you take yourself back to court first, rather than wait for your ex-spouse to take you back to court to enforce a court order you failed to comply with. Alimony, custody, child support, and visitation, can usually be modified by the court if you have suffered a significant change of circumstance which makes the previous order no longer workable. Always consult a lawyer before you decide to ignore a divorce judgement. Violation of divorce judgment takes place when one of the spouse breaches or fails to do according to the divorce settlement and judgment since such terms are binding to both parties. It can also occur in exceptional situations. For example, if your spouse was assigned a certain amount for child support but have received raise in wages that is significant. Divorce terms can be subjected to modification. Instantly, the judge will give the spouse a second and third chance to comply before imposing punishments.   Violation can be caused by different circumstances. For instance, the spouse may feel angry and betrayed hence try to use violation as a remedy of which it’s more of a risk than a solution. Violations includes: lack of compliance with visitation schedule, non-payment of alimony and child support.   If you go to the court early enough to make it known of your inability to comply to the orders, such orders can be modified. But on the other hand, it’s difficult to modify property settlement orders. However, you can present an affirmative defense in case you are genuinely unable to meet the orders of the court, and make your efforts to be able to meet them known to court.   However, before engaging in the process of following a violation of divorce judgment, it’s always good to consider the quantity of resources to use and what the ex-spouse can afford or even owe at the moment. Otherwise, it would be a loss.   Violation of divorce judgment can subject the spouse or the two in drastic consequences. You may be forced to pay the attorney fees and court costs in case your spouse has to take you back to court. It may also lead to parenting compensation, loss of property, poor credit ratings, serving a jail term or fine (depending on the violation), seizure of important documents such as passports, professional and driver licenses among others. A stipulated judgment is the agreement signed by both partners, which settles the divorce case. It contains and addresses agreements concerning all issues in the case. Such issues include payment of legal fees, custody of children, division of property, visitation, support, and several  other issues. Such settlement or agreement becomes a jury judgment only when the jury sanctions it. A stipulated judgement divorce is also referred to as a consent judgment or an agreed judgment. A stipulated judgment is a very detailed and lengthy document that can only be drafted by a lawyer. You don’t require a stipulated judgment divorce document to get a legal divorce. If you don’t have minor children and you have no property to be divided, you don’t require a stipulated judgment. In a stipulated judgement divorce hearing, the judge reviews the divorce agreement and makes a decision on whether to approve it or not. For a majority of divorcing couples, a consent divorce hearing plays a crucial role in bringing their domestic relationship to a close.

A Stipulated Divorce Hearing

During the stipulated divorce hearing, the judge speaks directly with the involved parties and asks queries about the case. The judge also confirms that the individuals understand the written agreement and that they meet all the requirements for a stipulated judgment divorce. Some courts demand that you bring a testifying witness to testify regarding the circumstances of your case. If the judge does not have many queries, hearing may take a very short time.

 Approval by court

The court must approve the consent agreement before it becomes enforceable and binding.  Most stipulated divorce cases pass the judge’s review without any problem, but a judge can nevertheless withhold approval. This may sometimes happens when the judge doesn’t believe that one of the partners understands the terms of the agreement or the individuals fail to meet the residency requirements of the state. The court will also decline to approve a stipulated judgement divorce that violates the law.