Ontario family court forms · 2026
Form 8A — the Ontario divorce application, explained for men.
Form 8A is the form you file to ask the court for a divorce and nothing else. If the only thing left to settle is the divorce itself, this is the shorter road. Here is when it fits, when it doesn't, and the parts that hold men up.
Divorce only
Form 8A is for a divorce with no other contested claim. If parenting, support, or property is still open, that is Form 8.
Simple or joint
One spouse files a simple application; both file a joint one. Joint means no service and no answer — the quickest route.
The one-year rule
The usual ground is one year of living separate and apart. You can file earlier, but the order waits for the year.
Form 8A is the Application (Divorce). You use it when the divorce is the only issue you are asking the court to decide — the parenting arrangements, support, and property are either already settled in writing or there is nothing to settle. If any of those are still open and contested, Form 8A is the wrong form and you file Form 8 instead.
There are two ways to bring it. A simple (sole) application is filed by one spouse. A joint application is filed by both spouses together when you agree on the divorce and there is nothing to fight about. A joint application means no one has to be served and no one has to respond, which is usually the fastest, lowest-friction path to a divorce order.
Getting a divorce in Ontario almost always rests on one ground: that you and your spouse have lived separate and apart for at least one year. You can start the application before the year is up, but the court will not grant the divorce until the year has passed. This is an estimate of the process for planning — treat it as a map, not a substitute for reading the form and the court's own instructions.
When Form 8A is the right form — and when it isn't
Form 8A works when the divorce is genuinely the only live issue. That usually means your parenting arrangements and any support and property questions are already dealt with in a signed separation agreement, or there simply is nothing to divide and no children. If that describes you, the divorce application is a paperwork exercise rather than a fight.
The moment any of those other issues is unresolved and contested — you disagree about the parenting schedule, one of you is claiming spousal support, or property has not been divided — Form 8A is the wrong tool. You file Form 8, the general Application, and set out every claim you are asking the court to decide. Filing 8A when you actually have open claims does not make those claims disappear; it just means you may have to come back and start over.
The parts of Form 8A that trip men up
The details of the marriage have to match your marriage certificate exactly — legal names, and the date and place of the marriage. If your certificate is not in English or French you will need a translation. A mismatch here is one of the most common reasons a divorce application gets sent back.
The grounds section is where you state the one-year separation. The separation date matters and it is not always the day someone moved out — spouses can be separated while living under the same roof. Be accurate and consistent with that date everywhere it appears.
There is a section confirming arrangements for any children of the marriage, including that child support reflects the Federal Child Support Guidelines. A court will not grant a divorce if it is not satisfied that reasonable arrangements for the children's support have been made, so this cannot be left vague even in an otherwise simple divorce.
After you file: service, the fee, and the order
On a simple application, the other spouse has to be served with the application, and you prove that with an Affidavit of Service (Form 6B). On a joint application, no service is needed because you are both applicants. There is a court fee to issue the application and a further fee later in the process; fee waivers exist if paying them would be a hardship.
Once the year of separation has passed and the paperwork is in order, the divorce is usually granted in writing without anyone appearing in court. The divorce takes effect 31 days after the order is made, and only then can you get a Certificate of Divorce — the document you need if you intend to remarry.
Before you file Form 8A
- Your marriage certificate (original or certified copy), plus a translation if needed
- The exact date you and your spouse separated
- Confirmation that parenting, support, and property are settled or not in dispute
- For children of the marriage: the child-support arrangement, consistent with the Guidelines
- The court fee, or a completed fee-waiver request
The full path through a simple or joint Ontario divorce, step by step.
- Whether your situation is a simple, joint, or contested divorce
- The documents you need before you file
- How service works and how long the order takes
- Where a signed separation agreement fits before the divorce
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Reviewed July 1, 2026 · Plain-language information for Ontario, not legal advice · Official Form 8A (PDF)
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