Either partner in a marriage civil union or domestic partnership can file for divorce in new jersey as long as at least one member of the couple lives in the state if you formed a domestic partnership or a civil union in new jersey but now live elsewhere you might not be able to dissolve the relationship legally in your new state in that case you can file in the new jersey county where the civil union or partnership took place. Requirements to file for a new jersey divorce you or your spouse must have resided in the state of new jersey for at least one year prior to filing for divorce if the grounds for the divorce is adultery there is no required residency period but you or your spouse will need to provide an affidavit attesting that one of you is a new jersey resident at the time of the filing. How long does it take to get a divorce in new jersey courts have mandated in new jersey that no divorce should take longer than 12 months from the date the complaint for divorce is first filed at a clerks office there are some exceptions if a divorce is complex but this is usually not the case. Obtaining a new jersey divorce can be a long and involved process especially when a trial is necessary because the parties cannot come to an out of court agreement below are the general steps that you will be required to take in order to be granted a divorce in new jersey step 1 file a divorce complaint