No. You can apply for what’s called a sole application, and in most cases the divorce will still be granted even if your spouse doesn’t engage with the process or actively objects, provided the required separation period has passed and proper legal service requirements are met.
This means a spouse can’t simply refuse to “give” you a divorce or hold the process hostage by ignoring it. There are some additional steps involved in a sole application compared to a joint one, particularly around formally serving the divorce papers, but it’s a well established process designed specifically for situations where one party isn’t cooperating.
If your spouse is being deliberately unresponsive or difficult about the divorce process, this is a common and manageable situation, not a dead end. Get advice on the correct way to proceed with a sole application rather than waiting indefinitely for cooperation that may never come.
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